Weather:Morning fog clouds the picture for the next few
days, with mostly fair weather through Friday. Look for a chance
of rain late in the weekend. Lows in the 20s and highs in the
40s.

Modoc Forest looking for
varied opinions on project

Officials at the Modoc National Forest
are seeking and hoping for a wide variety of opinions during a
public meeting Saturday concerning the management direction of the
forest.

While the ranching and logging
communities are usually well represented at these meetings, the
Forest is hoping other interests including environmental and
recreational attend.

The Modoc Forest is included within a
new management project called the Sierra Nevada Framework for
Conservation and Collaboration. The project includes 11 national
forests, many of which include the Sierra Nevada Mountain
range.

"This is an official scoping meeting and
we really do want a well-rounded group of people to attend," said
Public Information Officer Nancy Gardner. "These meetings are, and
will be, very important to the future of the Modoc Forest. There
could be some changes in the way we do things and we certainly
want the public to have its say. The public also needs to know
what it is we're considering and that's what these meetings are
for."

A Notice of Intent has been released out
lining some strategies and broad problem areas. The major areas of
concern on the Modoc Forest are riparian area management, meadow
ecosystems, old forest ecosystems, fire and fuel concerns, aquatic
areas and noxious weeds.

"During this meeting, we will be looking
into how things are done now and if changes are necessary," said
Gardner. "We need to look at practices on the Modoc and need to
come to terms that make sense in Modoc. It is very important that
our people have their say."

The January 9 meeting will be held in
the Forest Service conference room in the office on Highway 299.
It will begin at 10 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. with an hour break
for lunch.

According to Gardner, the first part of
the meeting will be used by Forest staff to show the public what
is now being done on the Modoc Forest. Slide shows detailing
management practices in riparian areas, old forest and fire and
fuel management will be shown. The second half of the meeting will
be used to solicit comments and suggestions from the public.
Gardner said the public will be broken up into discussion groups
in their areas of interest.

"We will be focusing on ecosystem
management," said Gardner. "We want to know what local people want
and how they feel we can manage to get to those goals. The Modoc
plateau is different from much of the Sierra Nevada and while some
management practices will work in both areas, some may not make
sense to us here."

Several workshops and field trips held
in Modoc have been well attended. The January 9 meeting is one
more step in the environmental process where proposed alternatives
can be discussed and examined. There is also an opportunity to pro
pose new alternatives. Forest Service specialists will be on hand
to answer questions or provide more detail on projects.

For more information contact Robert
Haggard or Gardner, Modoc National Forest, 800 West 12th Street,
Alturas. Haggard can be reached at 530-233-8840 and Gardner at
530-233-8713.

Drunk driving arrests went
down for 1998

Drunk driving arrests were down for
1998, and local officers believe drivers are becoming more aware
of the ramifications of a Driving Under the Influence
ticket.

According to Alturas Chief of Police
Larry Pickett, the city arrested only 13 drunk drivers for the
year, a marked downturn from previous years.

"I think people are being more cautious
and just aren't drinking and driving as much," he said. "If they
are out and drink too much, they're having someone else take them
home or they're taking a designated driver with them. People are
just more responsible."

According to the California Highway
Patrol, their DUI arrests were also down. They made 56 DUI arrests
through November, 1998. In 1997 the CHP arrested 63, which was up
from 1996 when 41 arrests were made.

Modoc County Sheriff Bruce Mix said his
office was com piling the annual report and didn't have figures at
hand. He did say there was a decrease in DUI activity.

"I think people are just acting more
responsibly," said Mix. "For some it's a financial incentive (DUI
tickets are very expensive) and to others it's a moral choice. For
what ever reason, more people are choosing designated drivers or
are not drinking as much. They are making good choices."

Pickett and Mix both said drinking is
not as socially acceptable as it was in the past and the efforts
of Mother's Against Drunk Driving and increased enforcement has
had an impact.

Land Use Committee begins
new year with issues to discuss

Modoc Land Use Committee will gather for
its first meeting of the new year with several "significant issues
to discuss," offers Committee member Sean Curtis.

If interested in becoming a part of the
Land Use Commit tee or sharing thoughts on the issues to be
discussed, plan to attend the Wednesday, January 13 meeting in the
Farm Advisor's Conference Room, Fourth Street, Alturas at 1:30
p.m.

Those four issues to be addressed
include Reviewing the County's alternative under the Sierra Nevada
Conservation Planning effort; reviewing the draft Elk Plan;
establishing the role the county will play in the Warner Mountain
Grazing Planning effort and considering appointments for several
of the 25 seats on the committee. Term appointments are for four
years and this will be the first official year, since the group
formed by ordinance in 1995, to once again make recommendations to
the Board of Super visors as to volunteers who will fill the
vacancies in areas of their expertise.

For further information please contact
Land Use Secretary Carolyn Carey at 233-2517.

Meetings are held the second Wednesday
of each month at the Farm Advisor's Office at 1:30 p.m. Public
welcome.

Cantrall will lead board
into new year

Supervisor Pat Cantrall of Likely was
elected Chairperson of the Board at Tuesday's meeting of the Modoc
County Board of Supervisors. She will grasp the gavel through
1999.

Nancy Huffman, of the Newell area, was
elected as vice-chairperson of the board for the coming
year.

Supervisor Terry Williams, of Surprise
Valley, was officially seated and took the place of outgoing
supervisor Ben Zandstra. Joe Colt and Ron McIntyre make up the
remainder of the board.

The board also accepted the resignation
of Modoc County Librarian Godelieve Uyttenhove, effective February
1. She has taken the Librarian position in Fort Bragg. The county
will start the search for a replacement.

MPAT wants to keep cold out
of Niles with mystery play: Murder Backstage

Modoc Performing Arts Theater wants to
help keep the Niles Theater warm, and most importantly,
open.

MPAT and Alturas Community Theater, ACT,
are presenting Murder Backstage, an original play written by
Alturas' Karen Hays. The play will be performed one time only,
January 16, 8 p.m. with all tickets $10 each. The proceeds from
the play will go into a fund to help offset the theater's heating
bills.

"This is our playhouse and we want to
help keep it afloat," said Hays. "So, come and help the 'cause'
and add to the contribution to keep the theater open and running.
This is important and necessary."

ACT is a non-profit corporation, which
owns and operates the Niles Theater. A sister non-profit, Niles
Theater, Inc., operates the movie portion of the theater.

"We really appreciate MPAT's effort to
help with the heating bill," said ACT's Rick Holloway. "It sure
beats a 'BYOB--Bring Your Own Blanket' party we thought we might
have to do. We share in belief that the Niles is a special part of
the community and MPAT performances add to the overall cultural
well-being of this area."

Murder Backstage concerns a primadonna
actress, who can't act; a supporting actress who has a penchant
for throwing paint; an understudy actress who never gets her
chance; a leading man who cannot keep the girl; a director who
cannot control his cast; a set designer with an Oscar and Tony on
his mind; a starlet who doesn't have a clue; and one sheriff who
is out of his jurisdiction.

According to Hays, the added ingredients
making this play fun are: betrayal, hate, jealousy, lust and
desperation.

The cast includes: Sandy Boldon, the
primadonna; Nancy North-Gates, the supporting actress; Karen Hays,
the understudy; Gerry Gates, the leading man; Paul Warshauer, the
director; Mike Halderman, the set designer; Jodee Roberts, the
starlet; Sheriff Bruce Mix as himself; Chip Massie as New York
detective Alvin Sipalot; the ambulance crew is Sandy Hoxsey and
Bob Cummings as the attendant; There will also be a cameo
appearance by Judge Larry Dier.

"So come out and help the cause and see
if everything you have ever heard about theater people is true,"
said Hays. "See if the ambulance crew will be on time or will
their efforts be in vain? Will Sheriff Mix be able to solve this
crime before the boys in NYPD blue arrive on the scene? Come
laugh, ask questions and help solve this crime as you also help to
support your local theater."

Obituaries:

Ramona LaVerne
McDonald

Ramona LaVerne McDonald, a former Modoc
resident for most of her life, passed away at her Los Flores,
Calif. home on December 31, 1998. She was 61 years old.

She was born Ramona Cates in Socorra,
New Mex ico on September 23, 1937 to Simi and Jewell Cates. She
lived most of her life in Modoc County before moving to Tehama
County 12 years ago.

Mrs. McDonald was a dedicated mother who
en joyed cooking, making candy and baking cakes and enjoyed
crafts. She also enjoyed being the boss of her dogs.

Preceding her in death were two
daughters, LaQuita Mc Donald and Vickie Stevenson, and a
granddaughter Mandy Dowell.

She is survived by her two sons, Scott
McDonald of Los Flores and Doug McDonald of Susanville; a daughter
Robin Greer of Gerber; sister Nadene Baker of Gerber; two broth
ers, Ed Cates of Reno, Nev. and Clifford Cates of Canby,
Calif.

A memorial service was held on Monday,
January 4 at the Memorial Hall in Gerber, Calif. at 1:00 p.m. W.
C. Fickert Memorial Chapel of Red Bluff took charge of ar
rangements.

Irene Fisher
Davidson

Irene Dorothy Fisher Davidson, a
lifelong resident of Alturas and an active member of the
community, passed away at her home in Alturas, Calif. on Thursday
morning, December 31, 1998. She had celebrated her 85th birthday
just two days before.

She was born in Alturas, Calif. to Frank
and Leona [Claussen] Fisher on De cember 28, 1913. She was reared
and attended Busi ness College in Eugene, Ore.

On June 13, 1940, Irene married Stanley
Ray Davidson in Alturas. They have been married for 58 years and
reared one daughter Marilyn David son-Reeves.

Mrs. Davidson worked for the State of
California for over 40 years as the office manager for the
Department of Human Resources. She retired in 1977.

She was known as "Nonnie," a name that
was given to her by her granddaughter and was carried over and
used to her great-grandchildren.

Every Thursday Irene and Stan would help
sort clothes for the Thrift Shop operated by Federated Church and
spend time with lifelong friends. They have been long-time mem
bers of Federated Community Church in Alturas, where Mrs. Davidson
served as a Deacon and helped wherever she was needed.

She was a fifty-year member of Beta
Sigma Phi Sorority and for a number of years volunteered to work
the Modoc Medical Center Gift Shop. She was still involved in
helping with the monthly birthday parties at Modoc Medical
Center's Skilled Nursing Facility. She was also a faithful member
of a weekly Bible Study.

In addition, she enjoyed gardening,
doing crossword puz zles, letter writing and recording her daily
activities in her journal. In the spring, her garden was full of
snapdra grons, pansies and other colorful flowers.

She was preceded in death by her brother
Marion Frank Fisher, who passed away in 1996.

Funeral services were held on Tuesday,
January 5 at 1:00 p.m. at Federated Community Church in Alturas
with the Rev. Ben Zandstra officiating. Burial followed at the Al
turas Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be
directed to Fed erated Community Church Memorial Fund.

Allan Cyrus Crum

Services for Allan Cyrus Crum will be
held at graveside today, January 7 at 11 a.m. at the McArthur
Cemetery. Pas tor Mack McKee will officiate.

Mr. Crum died of natural causes on
Friday, January 1, 1999 in Klamath Falls, Ore.

He was born May 13, 1914 in Cayton
Valley, Calif. to Birdie and Merton Crum who reared their son in
the McArthur area. Mr. Crum worked for the Crum Meat Company from
1932 to 1944. The company butchered and supplied meat products to
Northeast California. He sold out to his brothers in 1944 and
began ranching on his own. He purchased a ranch in Pittville where
he raised hay and cattle.

He and Esther Eva Hobson were married on
July 10, 1937 and have shared 61 years of mar riage
together.

Mr. Crum retired in 1985, but continued
to live on the ranch. He was a good carpenter and mechanic and
enjoyed hunting and fishing.

The family suggests any memorial
contributions be di rected to the Intermountain CattleWomen, P.O.
Box 161, McArthur, CA 96056 for a scholarship for a graduating
high school senior.

William "Bill" Weild
Minto

William "Bill" Weild Minto, 77, of
Merrill, Oregon, died December 30, 1998, in Merrill.

Funeral services were held Monday,
January 4 at the Ea gleville Community Church with the Rev. Jim
Davidson of ficiating. Interment followed at the Eagleville
Cemetery.

Mr. Minto was born October 24, 1921, in
Eagleville, Calif., as the son of Elmer Weild and Ellen Phylinda
Dor ton Minto. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air
Corps as tech sergeant from 1942 to 1945.

On May 28, 1950, Mr. Minto married Sarah
Jane Mankin in Red Bluff, Calif. to them were born two daughters.
His wife, family and friends were always the most special in his
life.

He was a highly skilled carpenter for
many years. He helped build many homes in and around Surprise
Valley and Alturas. He also worked on ranches in the Eagleville
area and had cattle of his own. His grandfather, Robert Weild
Minto, was a pioneer who settled in Surprise Valley near
present-day Eagleville. His grandfather donated the original land
for the Eagleville Cemetery where Bill is now buried.

His hobbies included gardening, hunting,
fishing and helping other people.

Mr. Minto lived in Surprise Valley most
of his life until moving to Merrill in 1993, where he was a member
of the Merrill Baptist Church. He had also been active in the Al
turas Christian Center and the Lake City Church. He was a life
member and past commander of the Surprise Valley Veterans of
Foreign Wars, was active with the Eagleville Volunteer Fire
Department, and whole-heartedly supported the community.

Survivors include his wife, Sarah Minto
of Merrill; daughters and their husbands, Patty and Dave Jensen,
and Kay and Jim Ellis, all of Merrill; granddaughter and hus band,
Shawna and Patrick Bynum of Chico; grandchildren Tracy Jacobs, USN
in South Carolina, and Becky Jacobs and Ron Jacobs of Rock
Springs, Wyoming; sister Mildred Maupin and Elma Dorton of
Alturas, Ellen Boster of Salem, Missouri and Mabel Richardson of
Redding; sisters-in-law Sharon Staton of Eagleville and Carol
Minto of Gerlach, Nev.; many nieces, nephews and cousins; and a
host of friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents,
Elmer and Ellen Minto; his granddaughter Kathy Jensen; brothers
Bud and Jack Minto and sister Phyllis Watt.

Memorial contributions may be made to
the Klamath Hospice, 437 Main Street, Klamath Falls, Ore. 97601.

Edward B. "Mac"
McKelvy

Former Alturas resident Edward B. "Mac"
McKelvy died on Saturday, January 2, 1999 at St. Elizabeth's
Hospital in Red Bluff, Calif. He was 80.

He was born on January 14, 1919 to
Edward and Jessie McKelvy in Dallas, Texas. He served his country
in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He married his wife
Doris on June 7, 1946 and the two shared 52 years of mar riage
together.

Mr. McKelvy worked for many years as a
highway engi neer for the U.S. Forest Service. Mr. McKelvy made
Alturas his home from 1957 to 1963 while he worked for the Modoc
National Forest. He moved to Corning in 1963 and worked there
until his retirement.

He was a member of the National
Association for Retired Federal Employees; a former member of the
Lions Club and the Good Sam Club. He enjoyed hunting, fishing,
traveling and the mountains.

He is survived by his wife Doris R.
McKelvy of Corning; two sons, Forest E. McKelvy and Brad B.
McKelvy, both of Corning; a daughter Bobette Bonner of Red Bluff;
seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Tuesday,
Jan. 5 at 11 a.m. at the Hall Bros. Corning Mortuary
Chapel.

Memorial contributions may be made to a
charity of choice. Private inurnment will take place at the Sunset
Hill Cemetery in Corning. Arrangements are under the direc tion of
Hall Bros. Corning Mortuary.

Margaret J. Dorn

Private family services will be held at
a later date for Margaret J. Dorn, age 88, who died January 1,
1999 at her residence in Eagleville.

Mrs. Dorn was born April 27, 1910 in
Santa Cruz, Ca. She graduated from Watsonville High School in 1927
and Fullerton Junior College in 1929. She married Conrad Dorn in
Reno, Nv. in 1932.

She was a member of Eastern Star of
Lakeport, Ca., the Presbyterian Church of Kelseyville and the
First Congregational Church in San Rafael. She enjoyed trav eling,
spending time with her family, interior decorating and journal
keeping.

Mrs. Dorn is survived by a daughter,
Rosemary Sheppard, of Eagleville; a son, Reid Henderson Dorn, of
Kelseyville; a sister, Eleanor Turnbul of Alameda; six
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to
the First Congregational Church, number 8, N. San Pedro Road, San
Rafael, Ca. 94903. The Neptune Society of Chico is handling the
arrangements.

News for
January 14, 1999

Pair arrested alleging
child pornography

MPAT performs original
play to help Niles Theater

Alturas man markets his
tasty dressing

Building slows down in
Modoc

Obituaries:

Schadler

VanLone

Lynn

Weather:The
weather looks like rain today and tonight with mostly cloudy skies
Friday. There will be periods of rain and cloudiness over the
weekend. Highs in the lower 40s.

Pair arrested on child
pornography charges

Two Alturas residents were arrested
January 8 in connection with sexual misconduct and pornography
with children.

According to Alturas Police Sergeant
Stacy Callaghan, Benjamin Lockhart, 25, was arrested alleging lewd
and lascivious acts with minors, and sending child pornography
over the Internet.

Stephanie Colvett, 23, was arrested
alleging conspiracy and that she was an accessory.

According to Callaghan, the Alturas
Police Department received a call from the Police Department of
Chehalia, Wa. after a Chehalia resident reported to them at he had
received nude pictures of minors over e-mail, allegedly from
Lockhart.

A search warrant was obtained and served
on the Alturas Gardens apartment where the two lived Jan. 8. Two
computers were seized and have bee sent to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation for further investigation.

Original play to help out
with the Niles Theater heating bill

Modoc Performing Arts Theater, MPAT, and
Alturas Community Theater, ACT, are presenting Murder Backstage,
an original play written by Alturas' Karen Hays.

The benefit play will be performed one
time only, January 16, 8 p.m. with all tickets $10 each. The
proceeds from the play will go into a fund to help offset the
theater's heating bills.

ACT is a non-profit corporation, which
owns and operates the Niles Theater. A sister non-profit, Niles
Theater, Inc., operates the movie portion of the theater.

Murder Backstage concerns a primadonna
actress, who can't act; a supporting actress who has a penchant
for throwing paint; an under study actress who never gets her
chance; a leading man who cannot keep the girl; a di rector who
can not control his cast; a set designer with an Oscar and Tony on
his mind; a starlet who doesn't have a clue; and one sheriff who
is out of his jurisdiction.

According to Hays, the added ingredients
making this play fun are: betrayal, hate, jealousy, lust and
desperation.

The cast includes: Sandy Boldon, the
primadonna; Nancy North-Gates, the sup porting actress; Karen
Hays, the understudy; Gerry Gates, the leading man; Paul
Warshauer, the director; Mike Halderman, the set de signer; Jodee
Roberts, the starlet; Sheriff Bruce Mix as himself; Chip Massie as
New York detective Alvin Sipalot; the ambulance crew is Sandy
Hoxsey and Bob Cummings as the attendant; There will also be a
cameo appearance by Judge Larry Dier.

"So come out and help the cause and see
if everything you have ever heard about theater people is true,"
said Hays. "See if the ambulance crew will be on time or will
their efforts be in vain? Will Sheriff Mix be able to solve this
crime before the boys in NYPD blue arrive on the scene? Come
laugh, ask questions and help solve this crime as you also help to
sup port your local theater."

Gourmet dressing originates
in Alturas,

The path has been interesting and
eventful and gone full circle for entrepreneur Ronald P.
McCullough of Auras, originator of Mountain Herb Gourmet
Dressing®, now a registered trademark.

McCullough originated his product in
Alturas over nine years ago, and it has evolved into its perfected
form after years of research on his part and after successfully
testing it in "huge retirement homes" in the Bay Area where he had
been living until moving back to Alturas a year ago.

The product has also moved into the
consistent sales category in those Bay Area retirement homes and
stores and more recently is stocked on store shelves in Alturas.
It has all the ingredients consumers are searching for with good
taste, but still low fat, low cholesterol no salt, preservatives
or additives - all which describe Mountain Herb Gourmet
dressing.

McCullough has solely created the
versatile food item, to be used to garnish fish, all salads, baked
potatoes, as a dip for chips and raw vegetables, as a sandwich
spread or topping on fruit.

Now going into its ninth year of
production, McCullough says the original integrity and taste is
the same from years past, but he had to change a couple of base
items due to cost.

"I have learned so much over the years
and I have always believed in the product," he says.

He now ships 12-15 cases of his five
liter containers of Mountain Herb Gourmet Dressing to the Bay Area
every 10 days.

After working six days a week for eight
years in the Bay Area, where he was reared, he was devoting his
seventh day to making, bottling and shipping his product.

McCullough decided why couldn't he move
his small scale operation to Modoc County and begin enjoying life
more? He had bought land in Modoc in 1972 and first moved here in
1976; then left in March of 1987. While he lived away from Modoc,
he lived in Hawaii where he be came a licensed real estate agent
and worked with a corporation in leasing Kona Coast properties.

"I loved the weather and always felt so
energized there, but I love it here too," he said of Modoc
County.

When he decided he'd had enough of the
Bay Area he said, "I bit the bullet and gave up two jobs in San
Francisco and the business. I enjoyed my time there and loved
doing all the traveling as the driver for the residents of the
large retirement homes. Wherever they wanted to go, arrangements
were made and I took them. We saw beautiful places and things I
may never have visited on my own, even having been raised
there."

No regrets, though, he says today.

"It took a long time to create
credibility and I've done a lot of things better than many
manufacturers have done," he says of his product, now licensed and
successfully reviewed by the State of California and the Food and
Drug Administration. "It has been a huge expense to do individual
jar sales versus the five liter buckets. I do what I can do at
this time."

"The product sells well and it takes
money to promote it. I haven't even begun to promote it any more
to area hospitals and restaurants because I have about as much
work as I want to do just now," he added. "I do what I can
do."

Upon his arrival in Modoc on December 7,
he bought a Modoc Record on December 8 in which he read a bus
driver was wanted for the Modoc Senior Citizens Center patrons. "I
was hired the next day on December 9, and have been doing that
since, in between keeping my business going," he described.

"I wouldn't go back to the Bay Area to
live for anything. I now have no stresses, traffic or pollution
here."

He has made many trips back to the Bay
Area for his supplies, which he now looks forward to being shipped
or within closer proximity.

"You have to be tenacious and committed.
My 10 years of effort is proof and I've done it all myself, but it
does take a lot of time and energy to promote your product, but
I've always believed in the 'squeaky wheel' theory."

He knows full well the hardships that
'nothing is done overnight in your own business.

"I'm the lousiest salesperson, but a
great one for challenge and it has been a challenge. I used to do
in-store demos in the Bay Area and I'd like to start doing them
again sometime here - - - you know, that personal touch that helps
people understand how versatile and good the product is."

Now made in the "hills of Modoc County,"
with the freshest ingredients and under his Preston Enterprises
label named for his son's first name and his middle name the
dressing needs to be kept refrigerated and can keep up to six
weeks.

"It took me quite a while to set up my
spice, mayonnaise and sour cream suppliers, after I moved up here.
But my research has paid off," he says in retrospect. "I'm a very
patient person and the people who use the dressing want it and
keep me going."

Both Four Corners and Holiday Markets in
Alturas carry the locally produced Mountain Herb Gourmet
Dressing.

"I tried to sell the recipe to Kraft,
but until I'm selling massive amounts, they won't be interested.
Who knows, it could happen."

Not ready to look too far into the
future, the entrepreneur says maybe someday he'll go back into
promoting the other products that have been developed within the
Preston Enterprises food line and even promoting his gourmet
dressing more. "But it would have to be on a full-time basis."

"For now I do what I can do and if it's
meant to happen, it will happen," he said.

Building slows in
December

Building activity in Alturas and the
county slowed to a trickle during December, partly because of the
cold weather.

There were 11 building permits issued in
the county, worth an estimated $227,596. The bulk of the value
came in one single family home in the Adin area and another for
work at the golf course near Likely. The county collected
$1,729.40 in fees.

There were four building permits issued
by the City of Alturas with an estimated value of $40,641.30. A
new mobile home installation made up most of that value. The city
collected $499.42 in fees.

REPAIRS are planned for this portion of Carlos Street
this coming year and next year the street should get a whole new
overall. City crews will be doing their best to patch this street
and will work on a big project next year.

County says Modoc not part
of Sierra Nevada

The Forest Service has included the
Modoc National Forest as a part of its Sierra Nevada Framework
Project, but Modoc County Supervisors are taking a different
stance.

Tuesday the board heard a report from
the Modoc Land Use Committee and adopted its issues as an
alternative management plan. Primarily, the county is saying that
the Modoc National Forest is distinctly apart from the pure Sierra
Nevada forests, in everything from timber stands, to pography,
weather, sociology, economic, cultural wildlife and habitat areas,
and should be managed with more local input.

The Modoc Record will present more of
the Land Use Committee's report and the adopted county
alternatives next week since it is detailed and specific.

"The high desert plateau, which
comprises the county and the Modoc National Forest have seldom
been considered a part of the Sierra Nevada Range and present
unique chal lenges and opportunities that are not present in the
rest of the study area, all of which lies far to the south," the
Land Use report states. "Modoc County is vitally concerned with
the management of its National Forest and dedicated to healthy
ecosystems and communities within its boundaries. The very
survival of Modoc County stands upon the expressed goals of the
Sierra Nevada Framework for Conservation and
Collaboration."

The Land Use Committee, which is a
subcommittee of the Board of Supervisors, believes it can show it
and the county had been working closely with the Forest Service to
ensure the health and sustainability of the Modoc Forest. The
county worries that an blanket adoption of the Sierra Nevada
Framework would be disastrous for the Modoc National Forest and
would undo many of the good things accom plished through local
cooperative efforts over the past several years.

"Rural Modoc County depends on its
National Forest for a wide range of values and services," the
committee states. "Stability in commodity-oriented programs and
variety in recreational opportunities, as well as aesthetic-based
ones are essential to the survival of the communities within the
county. The county stands ready to do all in its power to help
provide stability within the ecological limits of the land so that
companies will make needed investments and provide jobs, in an
ecologically healthy manner. In short. as goes the health of our
forest, so goes the health of the county."

The stance of the county is that
management of the forest calls for maximum local decision making,
a thorough so cio-economic analysis be done at the county level,
and local flexibility remain a main part of any management deci
sion.

The committee believes that old growth
forest manage ment should represent a full spectrum of choices,
not just those of preservation and that old growth forests must be
managed in a way to maintain their longevity. The county states
that old growth management should not be on a tree-by-tree basis
and that many of the Sierra Nevada strategies for old forests are
based on west side (of the Sierras) ideas that may not apply in
Modoc.

As far as riparian areas, the committee
says forests with proven track records of successful riparian
management, and collaboration with local agencies and individuals,
should be allowed to keep their local decision making flexi
bility. Livestock grazing, while not covered in the Sierra
planning effort should not be precluded from riparian areas,
according to Modoc.

The committee also says that prescribed
fire, natural fire and logging should be available to reduce
forest fuels that would increase fire dangers.

The county's options and alternatives
will be submitted as a part of the Sierra Nevada Framework
management study, and the county hopes its views will meet with
objective sets of eyes.

Major city street project
in works for this summer

A major city street repair project will
get underway this summer, resulting in the upgrading of three
miles of streets.

According to Public Works Director Stacy
Chase, the city will combine about $300,000 in FEMA funds, another
$900,000 in new supplemental State Transportation Commission
funding and about $1 million in regular road funding for the
project.

Chase said the streets affected would be
the ones included in the FEMA storm damage project, but this time
around, the supplemental funding will allow the city to repair the
streets correctly. That means starting from the base and working
up.

The supplemental state funds came about
Chase said be cause of a change in the regulations allowing local
streets to be included as part of the major transportation
system.

While there are several streets involved
in this coming project, some include 2nd between Rine and Howard,
Henderson to the hospital, the worst portions of East A and some
of West C.

This street project will be taken care
of this summer, said Chase, as soon as the weather allows. City
crews are praying for a light winter so the existing damage does
not get much worse, especially on portions of Carlos Street from
the Creamery west to West Street. The city plans on repairing that
section of Carlos temporarily this summer.

A Carlos-Warner Street project is in the
works for the summer of 2,000, which will include reconstruction
of Carlos from Main Street to Warner Street and Warner Street from
Carlos to First Street. That project has a price tag of about
$1.55 million.

The above projects were approved by the
Local Transportation Commission.

Inmates removed after fight
at Devil's Garden

Following a disturbance, which was
reportedly racially motivated, at Devil's Garden Conservation
Camp, 20 in mates were removed from the camp and returned to the
California Correctional Facility in Susanville.

According to Department of Corrections,
the incident oc curred the night of January 14, about 10:10 p.m.
when a fight erupted at the camp in volving Hispanics, blacks and
a small number of white inmates. The incident started, ac cording
to CDC, over the use of the telephone.

The disturbance was cen tered at the
hobby room and a dorm. Upon investigation, corrections officers
discov ered broken broom handles, sticks, a pool ball and padlock
in separate locations. According to reports, correc tions officers
did not actually see the fight, but became sus picious when a
group of in mates left the dorm heading toward the hobby room in a
hurry.

Seven inmates were in jured, none
seriously. Most of the injuries were bruises, scratches and small
lacera tions.

According to CDC, the in cident is under
investigation and a report will be sent to the Modoc District
Attorney. The DA could file charges against some or all of the
inmates in volved.

New tracking--Modoc Elk
study goes high tech

The world of high-tech wildlife studies
just got higher, according to the De partment of Fish and
Game.

DFG wildlife biologists in the agency's
northernmost Region 1 said they are lay ing plans to capture up to
eight elk in Siskiyou and Modoc coun ties next month and equip
them with satel lite-linked ra dio transmit ter collars that will
automat ically record hundreds of earthly locations used by the
animals.

The new study, funded largely by the
Rocky Moun tain Elk Foundation, will provide the DFG with an un
precedented volume of preci sion data sets that under pre vious
monitoring methods would have been pro hibitively expensive to
gather, the agency said.

"This represents a signif i cant
advancement in the world of studding wildlife habitat preferences
and the movements of animals, said Rich Callas, DFG wildlife bi
ologist in Siskiyou County.

Callas said that as each collar reaches
its nine-month data collection limit, biolo gists will transmit a
signal to the collar that will disconnect it from the elk.
Afterward, they will use a signal emitted by the collar to find
and re trieve it.

Once in hand, the collar will be
connected to a com puter to download all the elk locations --
expected to be ac curate to as close as 300 feet. This data will
be coupled with satellite vegetative im agery to identify the most
important elk habitats of northeastern California.

While they are attached to the elk, the
collars will record the animal's location once every eight hours.
The $3,000 collars will be reusable in future studies.

Callas said the DFG will attempt to
capture elk using a helicopter and net guns. They want animals
from the north Warner Mountains and Dev il's Garden of Modoc
County and may also attempt captures in eastern Siskiyou County,
he said.

"Locating animals and then capturing
them will be the most difficult part of the project," said Callas.
He said citizens have reported seeing elk in the north Warners and
in other loca tions, but the large herbivores "have a way of
vanishing" when searchers try to find them.

He said elk numbers have been increasing
in the north end of the state for the past 20 years, partly due to
elk in Oregon expanding their ranges into California. Western
Siskiyou County is occupied by Roosevelt elk, whereas the north
Warners animals may be newcomers from eastern Oregon herds of
Rocky Mountain elk, ac cord ing to Fish and Game.

County adopts new census
tracts

On Tuesday Modoc County Supervisors
formally adopted four census tracts, up from the previous
two.

While there is some concern that the new
tracts may impact medical services in parts of the county,
especially Alturas, Planner Scott Kessler said the predominate
reason be hind the change is to aid in grant writing and overall
information about the population and will not have the suspected
impact on the medical community.

Modoc Public Health Director Phil Smith
is charged with looking into the impact on health care, and a
possible change in some upcoming federal regulations.

In the past, Modoc had two census
tracts, Alturas and Modoc Estates and the rest of the county. This
time around, there will be a sep arate census for Alturas, only
within its le gal boundaries, one for Surprise Valley, one for the
area west of Highways 299 at Canby and 139, and another covering
the rest of the county.

According to Kessler, the tracts will
make it easier for grant writers and other agencies to pinpoint
which areas need funding and which groups to target within that
tract.

Baker will hold the interim position
during the search for a permanent Librarian, and will be a
candidate to take over for Godelieve Uyttenhove who resigned after
a five-year stint to take a position in Fort Bragg.

The board also discussed the use of
answering ma chines and voice mail in some county offices during
business hours. Supervisor Ron McIntyre put the subject on the
agenda following some complaints and personal ex perience in
trying to contact county offices.

The board discussed the is sue and will
bring it back at a future meeting to set a county-wide policy on
the use of those machines and under what conditions their use
would be justifiable.

The board also discussed a free dump day
throughout the county, but came to no conclusion. That issue will
be brought back for further dis cussion.

NEWS FOR
JAN. 28, 1999

Modoc wants local input
in Modoc Forest decisions

Elk management group
looks for comments

Hanks named Citizen of
the Year

Art Center hosts new
show in February

Fish and Wildlife holds
meeting on trout

Obit:

Sally Cook

Weather: Look for continued cloudy and wet weather, with
rain and showers in the picture. There may be some snow flurries.
Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the 20s.

Local decisions needed for
forest management

Modoc County doesn't want to give up
what it calls an ef fective and proven working re la tionship with
the Modoc National Forest, and simply be swallowed up by the
Sierra Nevada Framework for Conservation pro ject.

The county is making a case, through its
Land Use Committee, that the Modoc Forest is distinct and differ
ent from the forests in most of the Sierra Nevada range and should
not be managed based upon strategies for those ar eas.

To that end, the county last week
approved an alternative plan as a part of the scoping and comment
period in the Sierra Nevada Plan. While Carolyn Carey was present
ing the plan to the county, Sean Curtis was pre senting the plan
to the Sierra Nevada project team in Sacramento. Curtis said his
recep tion was warm and he felt the alterna tive was being viewed
in a fa vorable light.

"Our goal is to have this alternative in
cluded as an alternative in the draft Environmental Impact
Statement when it comes out," said Curtis. He said that EIS is
supposed to be out by the end of February or early March and will
have a 90-day com ment period.

"We believe our alterna tive is solid
and has a place in the EIS," said Curtis. "The key to our plan is
account ability and we have the data and examples of cooperative
work on our projects in cluded. We can show that our ef forts in
the past have worked and can work, even on other forests."

Curtis said the county's initial stance
was to make the Modoc National Forest a sep arate management unit
from the Sierra Nevada plan alto gether, but that idea wasn't go
ing to pass muster at the Forest Service level, so they went
another direction. This alterna tive, said Curtis, should meet
with approval and while it can be remolded in some in stances,
should prove palatable.

"For instance, we can show examples
where our coopera tive work in riparian area has helped with
threatened and endangered fish, espe cially in the Goose Lake and
Clear Lake drainage area," said Curtis. "We can show that through
proper managed grazing strategies, grazing and fisheries are
compat ible and thrive."

Curtis is speaking about a several-year
project in the Goose Lake area that involves primarily the redband
trout. The redband thrives in creeks which empty into Goose Lake.
Following a severe drought, several agencies including the Forest
Service and Department of Fish and Game, ranchers, the county and
environmental concerns orga nized a working group and have been
moni toring all facets of the riparian areas in the north Warners.
Curtis said the efforts have been fruitful and show that local
cooperation is essential.

"The County wants to maintain its stance
in the management of the federal lands, as federal law de mands,"
said Curtis. "That doesn't mean we take the Nye County (Nevada)
stance (that county's have superi ority of public lands)," said
Curtis. "We sim ply believe we can show a solid working rela
tionship here and that we need to maintain flexibility in the
management process. We agree with the objectives stated in the
Sierra Nevada plan, but argue that it needs to allow strategies
that are de veloped locally."

Livestock grazing is a not a issue in
the Sierra Nevada Framework project, but it is a major issue on
the Modoc National Forest, which has the majority of grazing in
the re gion's forest. "While graz ing is not an issue addressed in
the plan, our position is that no decision should be reached in
the plan that precludes grazing. We can show through on-the-ground
examples where grazing, under proper management strategies, is a
benefit to the forest and ripar ian areas."

Curtis points to another successful en
deavor on the Modoc Forest which dealt with Threatened and
Endangered fish.

In 1996, the forest entered into
consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service for ac tivi ties
occurring in a num ber of drainages containing lost River,
Shortnosed and Modoc suckers. A biological study on that area de
clared continued grazing to be con tingent upon successful im
plementation, monitoring and reporting of the Modoc National
Forest Land Management Plan standards and guidelines. The Land Use
Committee con tends the progress toward the desired condi tions
mirrors those identified in the Sierra Nevada Framework.

The efforts in those drainages were very
success ful and photos are included in the re port to the Sierra
Nevada team.

"The Forest's success in ri parian
restora tion has not been solely constrained to these drainages,"
said the committee report. "The Modoc's 1997 Draft Monitoring and
Evaluation Report states the following: The 1992 Monitoring report
identified that moni toring data for the Forest's riparian areas
indicated less than 17 percent were meeting Forest Plan
objectives. Of 24 allot ments in tensively monitored in 1992, only
four were found to be in full compliance with Forest Plan
Guidance. In contrast to these 1992 find ings, the 1997 monitoring
in dicated that ap proximately 35 percent of the forest riparian
areas were meeting Forest Plan Objectives; and of 58 monitored, 52
were found to be in full compliance with forest plan standards and
guide lines."

The county is arguing that forest and
unit management must be allowed the flexibility to determine needs
locally, rather than pre scribing wa tershed requirements blan
ketly across the entire Sierra Nevada including Modoc.

"We, as a county, are proud of what we
have accomplished in partnership with our Forest Service
personnel," said Curtis. "We are anxious to share the results we
have gained through experience, with the rest of the Sierra Nevada
study area. We are hoping that the collaborative effort will allow
for the neces sary flexibility to preserve what we have
accomplished by focusing on site-spe cific solu tions.

"The county has long be lieved that
ensur ing sustain able forests requires the in volvement of the
communi ties that benefit from, and care for, those forests. We be
lieve that healthy forests can help to sustain our ru ral
communities and that the Sierra Nevada Collaborative effort must
work with commu nities to make sustainable forest ecosystem manage
ment a reality in the lives of those who live and work in them. We
offer our achieve ments as an example of what a true local and
Forest Service partnership can ac complish."

When it comes to old growth forests, the
county agrees that they need to be maintained and managed. The
Land Use Committee and county contend that unman aged old growth
forests deteri orate rapidly without a man agement program.

The county suggests the fol lowing
options to prolong the life of old growth stands: Thin from below
to reduce competition; remove un healthy trees; use appropriate
fuel treat ments to reduce risk of fire and use pre scribed burn
to the extent possible.

"The vast majority of tim ber stands in
the Modoc National Forest fall in the mid-serial stage," the
report states. "Aggressive man agement is necessary to move more
of these stands to late seral category as rapidly as
possible."

Strategic plan for elk out
for public review

Management of the grow ing elk herds in
northeast ern California is the topic of a draft strategic plan
just re leased for public review and comment by the Modoc County
Elk Working Group.

The working group, a consortium of
government agencies, organizations and private landowners, hope
the plan will lay the ground work for future manage ment of Rocky
Mountain elk and their habitat. Elk popu lations are increasing in
the Warner Mountains and other areas of Modoc and northern Lassen
counties.

The draft plan has been sent to
requesters and is also available at the Modoc Na tional Forest
headquarters, 800 West 12th St., Alturas, or by calling the office
at (530) 233-5811.

Comments should be sent by February 28
to: Tom Rat cliff, Modoc National Forest, 800 West 12th St.,
Alturas, CA 96101.

Committee chair Carolyn Carey said the
working group especially needs com-ments in several areas: Have
any issues or concerns been missed? Have the identified issues and
con cerns been addressed? Are there other management op
portunities or problem areas that have not been addressed in the
plan? Are there other management tools or options to be
considered? Other rec ommendations for the re source management
agen cies.

Comments will be consid ered as the
working group completes the final plan which will provide elk man
agement guidance for local, state and federal resource
agencies.

The 27-member working group includes
natural re source organizations and agencies such as the Modoc
County Land Use Commit tee, California Department of Fish and
Game, Modoc National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and the
University of California Co operative Extension. It form-ed in
1996 to look at op portunities presented by the elk herds, and
ways to avoid potential resource conflicts.

Hanks named Citizen of the
Year

Surprise Valley resident Barbara Hanks
has been named the Alturas Sunrise Rotary Club's Citizen of the
year for 1998.

According to Rotary offi cials, Hanks
was selected for her continued and continuing service to her
community and her unselfish work to help oth ers.

Hanks is described by a friend who
nominated her as the "most caring, giving hu man. . .regardless of
her du ties to her immediate family, noth ing is ever too much.
She al ways has time for others."

She is a member of the Surprise Valley
VFW Women's Auxiliary, Chaplain of VFW District 19, Chaplain of
VFW Surprise Valley Unit and SV Community Hospital, District 19
chair for VFW Home Committee, and is involved in the VFW "Voice of
Democracy" school essay contest.

She also regular makes visits to the
elderly in the nursing homes, plays piano for nursing home church
ser vices and gatherings, reads to elderly at nursing homes, or
ganizes parties for the elderly and volunteers at the Modoc County
Fair.

She is an active member of the Ft.
Bidwell Civic Club, the Ft. Bidwell Women's Fellowship, and was a
project and community leader for Lake City 4-H groups for sev eral
years.

In addition, Mrs. Hanks is the
vice-moderator for the Surprise Valley Community Church, and the
Lead Deacon for that church. She has taught Church School in
Cedarville for over 13 years. She was the organist for the Ft.
Bidwell Community Church an a dea con for that church. She also
taught church school in Ft. Bidwell for several years.

She was an English citizen who gave up a
continuing ed ucation to become a member of England's "Land Army"
dur ing World War II. The "Land Army" worked the fields raising
food for the English people. She married Lloyd Hanks, an American
solider and came to the United States as an English war
bride.

The couple settled on the the Hanks
family ranch near Ft .Bidwell.

Ski Hill gears for big
weekend

Last week the Cedar Pass Ski Hill was
nearly barren of snow and crews were concerned it could go the
rest of the year without opening.

What a difference a snow storm makes.
The ski hill is now covered with two to four feet of great snow
and more snow fell during the week. Crews bustled about last
Saturday grooming the slopes and on Sunday, the Hill opened with a
great day.

This week things are looking even better
and the hill will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. All of the equipment is in great working order, said the
Ski Hill's Don Lancaster, and the snow is as good as it's been. A
new rope has been installed on the rope tow and the T-bar lift is
working perfectly.

The ski hill welcomes both skiers and
snowboarders and has lots of rental ski equipment on hand. There
is no rental snowboarding equipment available at this time. There
is also certified ski instruction available at the hill.

Art Center has February
show to feature

Alturas' Art Center will feature a
double header at its long-standing "First Friday of the Month"
show on February 5.

Ceramics and watercol ors by local
students en rolled in pottery and water color classes at the
Lassen College's Modoc Campus, will be displayed at the gallery at
317 So. Main Street, Alturas. Some of the work will be for sale
and some will be for exhibition only.

In addition, Davis Creek print maker
Nancy Leslie will present an informal program beginning at 7:00
p.m. on print collecting.

Leslie, whose credentials as an artist
and print collec tor are numerous, moved to Davis Creek last year,
from Burney, where she had a stu dio. She is in the process of
setting up her studio in Davis Creek.

Leslie's work was fea tured at the Art
Center's November show. Her spe cialty is etching. She has owned
an etching press for more than 20 years and her prints are
collected interna tionally. Leslie began her direction in art in
water color painting and sculpture while in college, then be came
fascinated in etching once introduced to the tech nique while
taking classes at California State Univer sity, Chico.

Now a mother of two grown sons and a
former teacher for the Burney School District, when not working on
her art, Leslie can some times be found working at the "Bug
Station," the Plant Quarantine Bureau of Al turas Inspection
Station. and helping within the Davis Creek community.

Also a collector of other artists'
prints, Leslie will share her experience in print collecting at
the February 5 show.

"I'll explain things like how to
identify, restore and care for prints. I'll talk about prints as
an investment. And, of course, I'll answer questions," Leslie
offers.

"In fact," she added, "I invite people
to bring a print they own and I will be happy to discuss it with
them."

The local Lassen College Modoc Campus
art students work will include pieces from both classes which are
taught at the Art Center each semester.

Also displayed will be watercolors from
students enrolled in the current spring semester.

Joe Battram who teaches the ceramics
class at the Art Center, says his students will show a variety of
work including hand-built, wheel-thrown and raku-glazed
pieces.

Students participating in the ceramics
show will in clude Sandy Boldon, John Walton, Elizabeth Holt,
Joanne Cain, Joan Spencer and Chris Battram.

The February 5 reception will be held at
the Art Center from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with refreshments and
ev eryone invited to stop by the gallery/gift center at 317 So.
Main Street, Alturas.

Fish and Wildlife Ser vice
will hold public meeting on trout

The Fish and Wildlife Service will hold
public meetings in Lakeview and Burns in order to share in
formation on the status of Great basin redband trout.

In November, the Fish and Wildlife
Service pub lished a 90-day finding, which initiates a status re
view for the Great basin red band trout. A status review is
intended to assist the Service in gathering information on the
biology, distribution, abundance of Great Basin redband trout and
to gather information on activities that could be positively and
/or negatively impacting them.

The public comment pe riod for this
status review has been extended until March 16, 1999. In addition
to obtaining written com ments, the Service would like to meet
with members of the community and answer any questions individuals
might have about the red band trout or this process. The Service
encourages anyone with an interest in redband trout to attend the
public meetings scheduled for:

Any information regard ing the status of
Great Basin redband trout can be sent to the State Supervisor,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon State Office, 2600 SE 98th
Avenue, Suite 100, Port land, Oregon 97266.

Obituaries:

Sally Cook

Funeral services will be held for Sally
Florence Cook, 86, of Chico 11:00 a.m., Thursday, January 28 at
Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home. She died Monday, January 25,
1999 at a Chico convalescent hospital.

She was born June 25, 1912 in Chicago.
Illinois to Charles and Margaret McKinney. While in Chico she
worked in the accounting department for Hearst Newspapers. She
later worked as a legal secretary working in Chicago, Reno,
Nevada, Sacramento, and Chico.

On January 10, 1948 she married Lyle
Cook in Carson City, Nevada. The couple lived in Cedarville,
California and moved to Chico in 1957. In Chico, Mrs. Cook worked
as a legal secretary for several law offices. She served as Pastor
Ken Backlund's first secretary at Neighborhood Church when it was
founded.

While raising her family she was ac
tive as a Cub Scout Den Mother. She enjoyed playing piano and
organ for the rest homes, retirement residences and for the Order
of Eastern Star Chico Chap ter #104 of which she was a member. She
also belonged to the Butte County Asso cia tion of Legal
Secretaries and attended Grace Community Church and Neighborhood
Church. Mrs. Cook enjoyed visit ing her son and family at the
ranch in Surprise Val ley in Modoc County.

Survivors include two sons, Ardath Pay,
Jr. of Shawnee, Kansas and Wes ley Cook, of Cedarville, two
daughters, Janet Mussel man, of Oak Forest, Illinois and Kathleen
Cook, of Mal ibu, seven grandchildren and 15 great-grand children.
She is also survived by her companion, Bob Vil cone of
Chico.

Burial will take place 2:30 p.m.
Saturday at Eagleville Cemetery in Modoc County next to her
husband, Lyle. Memorial contributions may be made to the Neigh
borhood Church Memorial Fund in care of the funeral home.

February, 1999

Record
news for Feb. 4, 1999

Modoc Elk get new GPS
tracking collars

There's plenty of snow
in them there hills

New Family Law
facilitator takes over

Ground Hog supper this
weekend in Davis Creek

Modoc High Band Choir
members honored

Building slow in
town

Rotary hosts Snowblast
'99 Valentine's Day

Weather: Look for some unsettled weather though the
weekend with cool weather and some freezing at night.

Trio of Modoc elk get new
GPS units to monitor move

Many local people have had the
opportunity to see elk in the Devils Garden, Warner Mountains, Big
Valley or even off the high way drivi

This week the California Department of
Fish and Game is capturing and fit ting elk with radio telemetry
collars. Using new GPS (global positioning system) collars as well
as traditional VHF radio-telemetry col lars, Fish and Game hopes
to learn more about how the elk are using habitat and vali date a
model of elk habitat suitability.

Although occasional bull elk have been
spotted in Modoc County since the 1960's, it is becoming more
common to spot larger multi-age groups. Little is known how elk
use local habitat, Fish and Game is hoping to gain in sights into
local elk use so that elk manage ment goals and objectives can be
created.

Tuesday the capture started in the north
Warn ers, with a helicopter scan ning the slopes and valleys.
Landells Aviation has worked closely with Fish and Game and are
highly skilled at the precise and risky flying that is needed for
this kind of work. Once and elk is spotted, the heli copter flies
in low so that the 'gunner' who is hanging out onto the skids can
shoot a net over the animal. Once an animal is entangled, the
'mugger' jumps out to gain control of the animal, then a capture
team will move in to collar and quickly release the animal. This
all takes place in a matter of minutes, reducing stress on the ani
mals. Three animals were cap tured Tuesday in the Warners and
capture opera tions moving to the Devils Garden on
Wednesday.

With GPS collars, biolo gists are
provided highly ac curate elk location data dur ing var ious times
of the day and night. When the active life of the collars battery
is past, the collar is literally 'blasted' off the elk with a mere
typing of a command on a field com puter. A small charge located
inside the col lar is detonated leaving the elk collar-free and un
harmed. The collar is then retrieved in the field and the location
data may be down loaded onto a computer.

Major funding for this project was pro
vided by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foun da tion. The US Forest Ser
vice and the Modoc Elk Working Group were also contributors to
this effort.

Lots of snow in them there
hills

While the mountain snow isn't as deep as
last January, there is plenty of snow in the hills, according to
the federal agency snow survey taken last week.

Overall, 1998 was a very wet year. Sue
Becker, Modoc National Forest Hydrologist, total precipitation for
1998 in Alturas was 20.89 inches, compared to 12.52 inches in
1997. January, 1999 had 1.47 inches of precipitation, com pared to
January, 1998's 2.84. So, the area's starting drier than the El
Nino driven year.

Ken Romberger, Big Valley Ranger
District, said the to tal precipitation between July 1, 1998 and
January 1, 1999 at Big Valley was 11.38 inches. Historically, said
Romberger, any year that recorded more than 11 inches at this
point led to a year of precipitation well above aver age.

"We have been in a wet trend since the
1994-95 season, which recorded 22.94 inches, followed by 21.58
inches in 1995-96; 18.52 in 1996-97; and 26.03 inches for the
1997-98 seasons," said Romberger. "This is the first time the
records show more than three years in a row of above aver age lev
els."

Cooperative snow surveys were conducted
last week by Tom Hill, Natural Resources and Jake Coffey, Greg
Meyer and Doug Shultz, U.S. Forest Service in the Warner Mountains
and the Hays Range of Nevada.

According to Big Valley's Romberger, the
Sweagert Flat area measured 44.2 inches of snow this January
containing 13.6 inches of water. That's well above the overall
average for that snow survey at 28.15 inches of snow containing
8.35 inches of moisture.

Cedar Pass, at 7,100 feet, had 35.4
inches of snow con tain ing 10.7 inches of water last week,
compared in 1998's 46 inches of snow containing 15.2 inches of
water. The 10-year average for Cedar Pass is 35.4 inches of snow
and 11.4 inches of water.

Blue Lake's snow survey for January
1999, showed 26.5 inches of snow and 8.1 inches of water. Last
year, the area had 30 inches of snow and 9.7 inches of water. The
10-year average for that site is 27.5 inches of snow and 8.0
inches of water.

Mt. Bidwell, at 7,200 feet, in the north
Warners, had 48.9 inches of snow and 16.3 inches of moisture.
That's be low last year's total of 61 inches of snow and 21.2
inches of water. The 10-year average for Mt. Bidwell is 49.6
inches of snow and 16.6 inches of water.

Barber Creek in the South Warners at
6,500 feet, had 28.5 inches of snow with 8.2 inches of water. Last
year it had 32

inches of snow and 10.7 inches of water.
The 10-year aver age is 30.8 inches of snow and 8.6 inches of
water.

Hays Canyon, Nevada measured 10.8 inches
of snow with 2.8 inches of water in January. In 1998, the site had
13 inches of snow with 3.3 inches of water and the 10-year average
is 13.7 inches of snow and 3.3 inches of water.

The snow at 49 Mountain, Nevada,
measured 12.9 inches deep with 3.4 inches of water. Last January
it mea sured 15 inches of snow and 4.6 inches of water. The
10-year average is 15.3 inches if snow and 4.2 inches of mois
ture.

In addition to the regular snow surveys,
there are two "Snotels" in the Warner Mountains. The "Snotels" are
automated snow courses that show actual snow depth and water
content.

The Cedar Pass Snotel, which is not
close to the regu lar snow survey site, mea sured 59.5 inches of
snow containing 17.8 inches of wa ter.

The other Snotel site is at Dismal
Swamp, in the north Warners. It recorded 76.2 inches of snow with
25.2 inches of moisture.

New Family Law Facilitator
arrives

Leaving the bright lights and rush of
San Francisco and the far removed solitude of rural Sierra City in
Sierra County, M. Sue Jackson, at torney at law, is happy to re
locate to her new position as Family Law Facilitator for Modoc
County.

As of January 4, Jackson, who was the
District Attor ney in Sierra County for several terms, has been se
lected for the position, va cated by Tom Buckwalter who is now
Modoc County's new District Attorney.

Remaining in the same location that
Buckwalter opened at 208 North Court Street, Alturas, Jackson is
now available to schedule appointments, Tuesday through Thursday.
She ap preciates appointments so that she can devote her undi
vided attention to each party. She is the sole person in the
office.

Basically, the Family Law Facilitator
will be able to deal with most family law matters, including
divorces, domestic violence, child abuse, restraining orders,
child and spousal support, determining parentage, how to prepare
for a court hear ing, help with legal forms, Family law mediation,
and more.

The position mandated and funded by the
State of California, is appointed by Modoc Superior Court Judge
John Baker. The FLF ser vices are free to all who need
them.

The Family Law Facili ta tor is a
neutral person who does not represent any par ent/party and who is
here to help. No attorney-client re lationship is created between
the Family Law Facilitator and a person using the FLF services.
The FLF can not be an advocate in court family law or take sides.
The Fam ily Law Facilitator is avail able to see both par
ents/parties who have ques tions concerning family law
matters.

Originally from Sacra mento, Jackson
decided to study law after her son graduated from Cal Poly. She
had worked in the field of television and public rela tions and
worked as the di rector of media and public relations for
California Mortgage Bankers.

"I decided it was my turn to go back to
school after my son graduated," she said.

While living in San Francisco Jackson
worked full-time and attended San Francisco Law School at night
for four years until she earned her law degree and passed the
State Bar exam. She applied for an opportu nity while in law
school that gave her a 60-day position in Plumas County to gain
expe rience in trial law, criminal prosecution, mis deameanors and
felony pre lims.

"I realized that I loved the rural
setting at that time," Jackson said.

When she returned to "The City," and had
passed The Bar, she began clerking for law firms, of which the
Melvin Belli Law Firm was one.

"We called it 'day and night' law. I
became an as sociate there and worked on Mr. Belli's divorce case
for one year."

From 1987 until 1991, Jackson worked at
the Belli firm, until she felt she needed a change from the City
lifestyle.

During her venture to Plumas County, she
learned that there were no private law attorneys practicing law in
neighboring Sierra County. Needing a change, she made the dramatic
move to Sierra County.

"I hung out my shingle, and was ready to
begin my law practice. I was the first private law attorney
there."

After a successful recall of the
District Attorney for that county, Jackson decided to run for the
office and was the top vote getter. She was re-elected to a
four-year-term and defeated by 56 votes for her third term in June
of 1998. She held the DA posi tion for 5-1/2 years.

"I had always had an in terest in Family
Law. I think of it as a position where you feel you are help ing
people and those people are responding to you in a wonderful way,"
describes Jackson.

It was an opposite situa tion from her
past experi ences. Upon researching, she found out that Sierra
County and Nevada County had a shared FLF position and the job was
filled. Then, she saw the notice for the FLF Modoc County position
and applied right away. Her son already had explored Modoc County
with a college friend from the area and shared with his mom enthu
siasm of the area, after she told him where her new op portunity
was located.

Her office is now open in Alturas,
although she is still in the midst of moving her personal
belongings to Al turas from Sierra County, a four-hour drive from
Al turas.

Her new position is part-time and based
on a one-year contract, renewable upon mutual agreement. She may
also engage in some private law practice in the near future, once
she settles.

No referrals are needed to talk with a
Family Law Fa cilitator, although Jackson receives referrals from
the court system, Crisis Center, TEACH and Social Ser vices.

Groundhog Supper brings out
food, festivities to herald an early Spring

It's all in community spirit that the
Davis Creek 4-H Club will celebrate its 53rd year of their annual
Ground hog Supper. The special event is offered to the public this
Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Davis Creek Grange Hall.

Join them anytime from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
for the spe cial dinner and fun of games for the chil dren, bingo
and a cake auction for the adults, plus a lot of friendly faces
and visit ing. Even if you don't know a soul, you'll come away
feeling a part of the community.

With just a handful of families with
chil dren involved in the small, but energetic 4-H Club, the club
also relies on help from their community. Bingo, a cake auction, a
50/50 drawing and fun for kids and adults are all part of the
evening.

Dinner tickets prices have been rolled
back to $5 for adults; $3.50 for kids ages 5-12; un der age 5
served free. Davis Creek 4-H Leader is Linda LeNeave.

For tickets please call 233-5488 or
purchase them at the door. Four-H families in clude the Le Neaves,
Emer sons, and the Cren shaws.

The groundhog did not see his shadow
February 2, the traditional Groundhog Day, which indicates Spring
will come six weeks early.

Modoc High band, choir honorees
selected for weekend in Chico

Modoc High School choir students Cynthia
Morris, a soprano, and Jeran Brown, a tenor, will accompany band
trumpeter Rebekah Richert today in their travels to Chico State
University as se lected participants in the Northern California
High School Honor Band and Se lect Choir.

The experience is set for Feb. 5 and 6
at California State University at Chico with six hours of
intensive rehearsals on both Friday and Saturday culminating in a
public concert at Laxson Auditorium on Saturday evening, Feb. 6 at
7:30 p.m.

Richert's taped audition earned her a
seat with the honor band once again, as a junior this year. She
trav eled to Arcata last year to participate as a sophomore. While
at the Chico event, Richert will compete through live auditions
performing her scales and piece for chair placement on Friday
morning. She will then re ceive her music.

The choir students are se lected by
their high school director, in this case, Mrs. Karen Siegel. Jeran
Brown earned the honor as a sophomore and again this year.

Dr. Bill Ramsey of CSU, Chico will be
the vocal direc tor for the special occasion with a choir of 120
selected student vocalists. Dr. Gary Hill, Director of Bands at
Northwestern University, will conduct the Feb. 5 and 6 honor band.
Students from 47 high schools submitted tapes to qualify for the
100-piece band.

Building slow in
town

Building activity in Alturas for the
month of January was slow with 11 building permits issued, worth
about $26,475.

For the city, electrical upgrades,
re-roofing, Monitor stoves and propane heaters were the primary
activities. The city collected $374.38 in fees.

The Modoc County Building Department
issued 10 per mits for January, 1999, worth an estimated $157,299.
Three mobile and manufactured homes made up the largest part of
the value. The county collected $1,477.15 in fees.

In December, 1998, the city issued four
permits worth an estimated $40,641,50. In December, 1998 the
county issued 11 permits valued at $227,596.

Snowblast '99 set up for
Valentine's Day

The Alturas Sunrise Rotary Snowblast
1999 is set for Valentine's Day at the Cedar Pass Ski Hill.

The ski festival is sponsored by Sunrise
Rotary and of fers a free day of skiing or snowboarding for anyone
18 years of age and younger who is a resident of Modoc County or
resides within 10 miles of Modoc County.

The day starts at 10 a.m. and goes
through to 4 p.m. In addition to the free skiing and snowboarding,
there will be free hot dogs, hot chocolate, cider and sodas. There
is also free ski rentals and free lessons for beginners, Those
lessons will be held in two group sessions, one at 10:30 a.m. and
one at 12:30 p.m. Each group must have between six and 18
students.

In addition to the Sunrise Rotary
sponsorship, the Modoc Tobacco Control Program is also providing
spon sorship for the event,.

The day has both ski and snowboard races
and parents must sign consent forms for their children to
participate in the races. Registration forms may be picked up at
Coast to Coast or the Sports Hut in Alturas and will also be
available at the ski hill.

Heavy snows Tuesday downed power lines
and created a major mess in several areas of Modoc County. In some
cases power was out as long as 20 hours.

The wet snows also created driving
hazards and Howard's Gulch, on Highway 139 northwest of Canby, was
closed while highway crews cleared a pair of jack-knifed
trucks.

Surprise Valley Electric's rural
customers were the hard est hit, but Alturas and the Surprise
Valley areas remained pretty much unscathed. Surprise Valley was
without power two weeks ago when a tree fell through one of the
main transmission lines.

While the storm created mostly rain in
Alturas, with about four inches of snow falling Tuesday morning
late, other areas of the county were buried by snow. Canby had
nearly a foot of snow as did the Bieber and Lookout areas.
California Pines mountain residents received about two feet of
snow during the latest storms.

According to Lynn Culp, SVEC, the main
transmission line going over Adin Pass broke because of the
incredible weight of the snow Tuesday morning early. That break
shut off power to the Bieber, Adin and Lookout areas about 4 a.m.
With the storm still in full force, transportation and visibil ity
was difficult, but crews located the Adin Mountain breaks and had
power restored to most of the Big Valley area by about 2:30 p.m.
The ice and snow buildup on the power lines was over three inches
thick in some cases.

According to Culp, the problems were
magnified because they occurred throughout the service area, from
Big Valley, to Madeline, California Pines and the Oregon service
area.

Culp said some areas of Big valley were
without power longer because there were other problems in the
transmis sion lines, especially those serving the Lookout
Ranchettes and Day. Some of that power was not restored until
about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

There was also a break in a transmission
line near Canby and Black's Canyon. That power was out from early
morning to about 3 p.m.

A tree fell trough the line serving the
California Pines mountain residents and that power was off from
early Tuesday morning through about 4:30 p.m. In some areas of Cal
Pines, about five and a half feet of snow covers the
ground.

There was also an outage in the County
Road 68-70 area when a tree fell through a transmission line. That
power was restored by 3 p.m.

The power outage in the Madeline Plains
was caused by power line breaks and that area was restored by
about 5 a.m.

Culp said a switch at the Pacific Power
station in Lakeview caused about a 12 hour outage to SVEC's Oregon
customers.

Crews from SVEC started work about 4
a.m. Tuesday and many did not finish with repairs until after 10
p.m., said Culp.

"The problem areas were really spread
out all over the area," said Culp. "It's been a long time since
we're had a sit uation like this. The snow was just very wet and
heavy."

The weather forecast through the weekend
looks like it will give electric power crews a break. While it's
supposed to stay cold, there is no heavy snow in the forecast.

Cedar Pass is subject of
road safety forum

On Monday, February 22, from 10:00 a.m.
to 12:00 Noon the Cedar Pass Intera gency Public Forum will host a
Public Forum at the Cedarville Community Church Hall.

The purpose of the forum is to provide
an opportunity for the public to voice their experiences or
concerns re garding safety issues on Cedar Pass and County Road
1.

Representatives from the Modoc County
Board of Su pervisors, California High way Patrol, Cal Trans, Sur
prise Valley Health Care District, and the Modoc County Department
of Public Works will be present to pro vide di rection and formal
recommendations regard ing main tenance and safety issues
surrounding Cedar Pass and County Road 1.

There will be an opportu nity for anyone
with per sonal accounts regarding Cedar Pass or County Road 1, to
voice their concerns.

"The Wiz of the West," a Missoula Chil
dren's Theater production, will seek students of all ages from age
five years through high school seniors for audi tions on Monday,
Feb. 15 from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. at the A.C.T. Niles Theater,
Main Street, Al turas.

Over 50 local students will be cast in
the original musi cal production presented by the Missoula
Children's The ater. Assistant di rectors, lighting and stage crew
members will also be needed. Cast members will be asked to stay
for a re hearsal immediately following audi tions.

Rehearsals will be held after school Mon
day through Fri day in preparation for the Saturday, Feb. 20
perfor mances at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the Niles Theater.

Because of the sheer number of children
who have audi tioned in the past, any child who auditions but is
not cast will receive a ad mission to three MCT acting workshops
at Al turas Elementary School during the week-long residency from
Feb. 15-19. The work shops allow the children to experi ence the
creative magic generated by an MCT resi dency. Last year 125
youths turned out for au ditions.

The touring production comes complete
with costumes, scenery, and props and the two ac tor/directors who
work with the cast throughout the week.

Actor/Director Jacob Hauser will play Cy
clone Sam and is on his second tour with MCT. He is a 1998
graduate of Oberlin Col lege where he earned a Bachelor of Arts de
gree in theatre. He has performed with Ober lin's Improv Comedy
Troupe.

Actor/Director Ryan Young will play the
part of Tinhorn and work with youths in Modoc. Young is also on
his second tour with MCT and is a graduate of Appalachian State
Uni versity where he earned a B.S. degree is Graphic Design and
Television/Film. He also attended North Carolina School of the
Arts and most recently worked in outdoor drama. Young has appeared
in the films Last of the Mohi cans and Eddie.

The Missoula Children's Theater was
founded in 1970 by Jim Caron, in Missoula, Montana. Caron remains
Execu tive Direc tor.

During the Alturas performance plan to
travel through the Land of Oz through the wild, wild west of
yesteryear, but with a twist. The local cast will fea ture Dotty,
Mooch, Scared Crow, Lionel, Hawknose Halley, Dr. Ozzy, the Munch
Kin, Buzzards, Tarantulas, Coyotes and more. Students from age
Kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to audition or take on
essential backstage re sponsibilities.

No advance preparation is necessary for
auditions. Just mark the calendar to attend auditions, which fall
on the school holiday of February 15.

Sponsors include Modoc County Arts
Council, Alturas Community Theater, Cali fornia Arts Council and
the Modoc County Office of Education.

Wright appointed AVP at
Plumas Bank

Bill Elliott, president and chief
executive offi cer, today announced the appointment of Shirley
Wright as Assis tant Vice President of Plumas Bank's Alturas of
fice.

Wright has held numer ous loan and
administrative posi tions in Alturas and Quincy since joining the
bank twelve years ago in 1986.

A native of Northeastern California,
Wright was born in Chico and graduated from Anderson Union High
School in Anderson. In preparation for her banking career, she has
also attended Shasta Junior College in Redding and Feather River
College in Quincy.

Best known for her eager ness and
ability to solve cus tomer's banking problems, Wright is the
assistant Branch Manager in the grow ing Alturas office of the
bank.

Wright lives in Alturas with her
husband, Randy, and enjoys underwater pho tography and quad riding
with her granddaughter Kel lie Jo.

Plumas Bank currently with nine offices
in Modoc, Plumas, Lassen, and Sierra counties and assets exceed
ing $200 million has been serv ing the local banking needs of
communities of Northeastern California since 1980. The Alturas of
fice opened at the end of 1994.

Students hit books, MHS
wins con test

The Modoc County Office of Education
held the annual Academic Decathlon this past week, with Modoc High
School beating out Tulelake and Sur prise Valley for first place
honors. Modoc also had the top individual scorer of the meet in
Josanna Clark. Her over all score of 4,651 edged out Jens Kober of
Tulelake who had 4,575.

The Modoc team will now get to travel to
Stockton in March for the State Competi tion.

Modoc also won the Super Quiz at the end
of the day. The theme for this year, both statewide and
nationally, is "The Brain - Looking In ward."

Teams had to draw from all aspects of
their student body, not just the top brains. There are three
categories, Honors, Scholastic and Varsity, that are based on
different GPA di visions. Gold, silver and bronze medals were
awarded in each event in each of the divisions.

Modoc High School

For Modoc, Clark won the overall title
by finishing in the top three in every one of the 10 events in the
Scholastic di vi sion. She took first in Fine Arts and Mathematics
for a total of three golds, three sil vers and four
bronzes.

Honors

For Modoc in the Honors Division, April
Dorton took sec ond overall with 4,191 points. She won the Social
Sci ence and Mathematics events while picking up a total of six
medals.

Christy Cartner was right behind her at
4,181 points. She was first in the essay contest and took four
medals home.

Travis Dunn won the En glish and
Literature competi tion and finished with a total of three
medals.

Scholastic

Besides Clark's top finish, Modoc also
had Sonja Wilson place third in total points with 4,225 points.
She won silver medals in four events.

Erica Ambers won the Es say contest and
a total of three medals.

Varsity

Amber Knauss took first in overall
points with 4,201. She did it by winning the cate gories of
Interview, Fine Arts and Mathematics. She won a total of eight
medals.

Jed Tate was second with 4,065 points.
He won in Essay, English and Literature, Mu sic and Social
Studies. He took a total of seven medals.

Dan Hoover won four medals, including a
silver in Es say.

Tulelake High School

Honors

Kober was the top point-get ter in this
category. He was first in Economics and Fine Arts. He also took
two silvers and three bronzes for a total of eight medals in
all.

Allen Scott won the Inter view and Music
categories and took home four medals.

Luke Duval also won four medals,
including a gold in the Speech competition.

Scholastic

Socorro Hernandez was second in overall
points with 4,305. He took nine medals in all, including golds in
En glish and Literature, Music and Social Science.

Jennifer Molder was first in both Speech
and Interview, and won a total of five medals.

Jeremy Cross placed first in Economics
and won the bronze in Mathematics.

Varsity

Ben Duval was third in overall points
with 3,677. He fin ished first in Speech, Mathematics and
Economics while winning a total of seven medals.

Nancy Bell tied Duval for first in
Mathematics and won four medals.

Kim Hamrick won three medals.

Surprise Valley High School

Honors

Christina Worley took sec ond in Speech
and Fine Arts and third in Economics.

Tamara Small took the sil ver medal in
Music.

Jodie Jones was the silver winner in
Fine Arts.

Scholastic

Scherane Johnson took sec ond in English
and Literature and third in Fine Arts.

Cassie Cockrell won the bronze in
Music.

Jake Bonham also com peted for Surprise
Valley.

Varsity

Jessica Bietz placed second in
Mathematics just ahead of teammate Caity Wimer who took third.
Nicole Carlock also competed for Surprise Valley.

Record news
summaries for Feb. 18, 1998

Leslie, Aanestad host
open meeting

City raises golf fees
by 25 percent

MJUSD sees decline in
enrollment

The Wiz of the West
plays this Saturday

Modoc Elk satellites
talking

Modoc needs foster
families for teens

Grazing fee for 1999 is
the same

Time to start thinking
Duck Race

The
forecast: Look for mostly cloudy
today with a chance of snow and mostly cloudy Friday. Rain is
likely over the weekend. Lows will be in the 20s and highs nearing
the mid-40s.

Leslie, Aanes tad host open
session

State Senator Tim Leslie and State As
sem blyman Sam Aanestad visited Alturas on Wednesday morning. The
two held an open meeting at Alturas City Hall where they heard
about everything from schools to mountain lions.

Modoc County Supervisors Pat Cantrall
and Terry Williams, County Adminis tra tive Services Director Mike
Maxwell, and Alturas Elementary School Principal Randy Wise, all
expressed concern about the drop-off in timber tax revenues in
Modoc County and many other areas across the country. Half of
those revenues go to schools and half go to roads.

They also suggested that the legislators
be come more in volved with "The Forest Coali tion," a nationwide
group that has been formed to petition the Federal Gov ern ment to
get some of those tim ber tax revenues back.

Other issues raised by those in atten
dance included: the Railroad Museum, fire breaks, back-country
trails, the effect of Indian Gaming on the funding of County
Fairs, wa ter, mountain lions and education.

With regard to education, Republican
Aanestad com plained that Governor Gray Davis' education budget
doesn't include measures that Aanestad and other Repub li cans
have been fighting for. Those in clude $100 million to repair
school build ings and an equalization plan that would give more
funding to rural school dis tricts.

Leslie, also a Republican, expressed
frus tration at the way the State and Federal gov ernments are
treating the rural com munities in his district. He warned those
pre sent not to count on the State Govern ment, which he de
scribed with terms such as "liar," "cheater" and "thief," when it
comes to keeping some promises.

"It doesn't matter if it's Re publican
or Democrat," he said. "Every significant fi nancial agreement the
State makes, it fails to fulfill."

City raises golf fees by
25%

It's going to cost substantially more to
chase the little white ball around the pasture this season at
Arrowhead Golf Course. But, the good news is that it will open on
schedule March 1, weather permitting.

The Alturas City Council, faced with
losses totaling $63,286 over the past three years, approved an
overall rate increase of 25 percent for all fees at the municipal
course.

City Treasurer Kathy Alves said much of
the loss has actually been because of infras tructure improvements
over the past couple of years. Last week the council discussed
three options for the future of Arrowhead -- close the course
completely, raise fees by 50 percent or lease the course to a
group or individual and get out of the golf business
altogether.

Later in the week, the council chose
what amounts to a fourth option, raising the fees across the board
by 25 percent. According to Alves, some golfers have stated they
may pull their memberships because of the rate in crease and other
matters surrounding the course.

Currently, there are 61 family member
ships at the course, and another 49 single members. The current
membership fee for a family is $300 annually. That fee goes up to
$375. The single membership is now $265 annually and will go up to
$331.

In a move that could cost memberships,
the council opted to drop the long-standing practice of allowing
members to pay their fee on a monthly basis. Golfers must come up
with the whole annual fee at one time.

The senior family members is now $265
and will go to $331.The single senior fee is now $220 annually and
will go up to $275. The tournament entry fee goes to $9. To
qualify for the senior rate, golfers must be at least 62 years of
age.

The increase also impacts annual golf
cart storage and locker fees. Storage of elec tric golf carts goes
up from $120 to $175 and for gas carts from $100 to $110. Locker
fees increase from $20 to $25.

For non-members, green fees are also in
creased. On weekdays, nine holes go from $8 to $10 and 18 holes
from $14 to $17. Students rates go from $3 to $4 for nine and from
$4 to $5 for 18 holes. Weekend rates for nine holes goes from $9
to $11 and 18 holes from $16 to $20. For students, the rates go
from $4 to $5 for nine and from $7 to $9 for 18.

In addition to raising rates, the city
coun cil also cut $16,636 in planned infrastructure improvements
for the course. With the rev enue and expense changes, the council
goes from a projected loss of $20,875 for 1999 to a projected
profit of $7,996. With the fee in crease the revenue projections
go up from $52,315 to $64,550 and slicing the infrastruc ture work
drops the expenditure figure from $73,190 to $55,554.

But as Alves points out, there are a lot
of variables that can affect any projected in come. First and
foremost on the list is whether golfers will actually drop their
memberships. A second potentially fatal problem, she said, would
be a major infras tructure repair or breakdown.

The council remains concerned that the
golf course should be self-sufficient and states emphatically that
the city cannot sub sidize the course any longer. The general fund
revenues just are not available.

The golf course will open under the cur
rent management contract with Brad Server and Rod Gately, who are
each paid $1,750 per month under the contract. They also have the
pro-shop operation, and retain any profit from its
operation.

In September of 1996, the city loaned
the golf course $30,000 from the general fund, recreation and
community projects accounts to purchase, repair and maintain
equipment and the course. That loan was to be repaid in annual
installments over a five year term. So far, none of those funds
have been repaid.

The city purchased the Golf Course in
March, 1975 for $85,000 from John and Eve Briggs and has operated
the facility since that time. Funding for the initial purchase
came from a $70,800 grant from the State of California, $8,000
from Carlsberg Industries (Developers of California Pines, which
gave all Cal Pines citizens a two-year member ship), and $6,200
from the city.

MJUSD sees decline of near
100 in enrollment

Modoc Joint Unified School District has
realized a drop in enrollment of about 100 students this year,
which could translate into a loss of about $400,000 in
funding.

Following a report at Tuesday night's
board meeting, MJUSD Board president Bill Hall said the district
is aware of the situation and will be making adjustments where nec
essary. The district will also be keeping close tabs on the en
rollment fluctuation.

According to Hall. local public service
agencies feel the drop in enrollment can be contributed to welfare
reform and the relocation of several families out of the district.
Hall said the district has also been told that another 30 or so
fami lies are expected to leave the county this year.

While the district will be able to deal
well this year with the situation, a declining enrollment could
have impacts on teacher numbers, administration and overall
funding for next year, Hall said.

Students perform Wiz of the
West

"The Wiz of the West," a Missoula Chil
dren's Theater production will delight audi ences of all ages at
the A.C.T. Niles Theater with a local cast of young people in two
per formances on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Over 50 students have been cast in the
orig inal touring musi cal production, complete with costumes,
scenery and props. Assistant di rectors, lighting and stage crew
members are also local youths.

The local cast has been rehearsing Mon
day through Fri day this week in preparation for the two Saturday,
Feb. 20 perfor mances at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the Niles Theater,
127 So. Main Street, Alturas. Purchase tickets at the door for $6
for adults; $4 for students 17 and under.

Two touring Actor/Directors Jacob Hauser
as Cy clone Sam and Ryan Young as Tin horn, have spent the week in
residency work ing with Modoc youths toward the culminat ing
performance. The earlier MCT show times this year, will allow the
theater to also offer the motion picture "Prince of Egypt" be
ginning at 7:30 p.m.

During the Alturas performance plan to
travel through the Land of Oz through the wild, wild west of
yesteryear, but with a twist. The local cast will fea ture Dotty,
Mooch, Scared Crow, Lionel, Hawknose Halley, Dr. Ozzy, the Munch
Kin, Buzzards, Tarantulas, Coyotes and more. Students from age
Kindergarten through 12th grade are the cast members.

Sponsors include Modoc County Arts
Council, Alturas Community Theater, Cali fornia Arts Council and
the Modoc County Office of Education, Citizens Communica tions and
Modoc County Tobacco Education Coalition.

Modoc elk satellites,
'talking'

The Department of Fish and Game said
today it has succeeded in attaching new, global positioning radio
transmitter collars on eight northeastern California elk as the
first step in a new, high-tech study designed to learn the habitat
preferences of the animals.

The DFG said helicopter capture crews
"net-gunned" three elk in the north Warner Mountains and two on
the Devil's Garden of Modoc County and another three in Siskiyou
County's Shasta Valley last week. Crews attached the collars to
the eight adult cows and re leased them.

The agency said each elk's collar will
use satellite signals to record the location of the animal every
seven hours for the next six to nine months. A signal sent by bi
ologists will drop the collars from the elk for retrieval at the
end of the study period so the positioning data can be fed into a
computer.

Bob Schaefer, DFG wildlife biologist in
Alturas, said a follow-up aerial sea-rch located all eight elk
earlier this week. The ani mals were in good condition and the
collars were work ing, he said.

Fish and Game said cap ture crews
observed about 25 elk in the North Warner's; about 20 in the
Devil's Gar den; and, a herd of about 175 in Shasta Valley.

Modoc needing Foster
Families for teenagers

The number one need in Modoc for foster
care is attract ing families who are willing to take in teenagers,
some times on a short-term emergency basis and sometimes
longer.

According to Bernie Banister, social
worker for Environmental Alternatives, a private non-profit foster
family agency in Alturas, the county is blessed with won derful
foster parents but the need is growing.

A new program called Systems of Care, a
combined effort by both public and private agencies in Modoc, is
aimed at keeping more foster children in the county and getting
them back with their parents. Sometimes, foster care is a big step
in getting that child pointed in the right direction.

Most of the referrals to Banister's
office come from local agencies, including Child Protective
Service and Probation. Often there is a need for emergency foster
care on a tempo rary, or emergency basis, and often there is a
need for a longer term placement.

Banister said he is working with about
10 active foster families now and five others, who have been
excellent, but he sees an emerging need for more parents willing
to invest in a child's future. During the past year, Banister has
been in strumental in placing and working with 68 children in
Modoc and is now working with about 20. There are suc cesses, and
sadly, said Banister, there are also setbacks.

"Most of the referrals we get are
usually abuse related (either substance or physical and emotional)
or a child who is out of control of the parent," said Banister.
"Some place ments are short term and others are from six months to
about a year and there is a percentage that become permanent
placements or go into guardianships."

Younger children seem to adapt well and
accept the foster parents' roles well, often creating a
parent-like bond with their foster parents. Teens sometimes have
to adjust to the new sets of rules and restrictions imposed by the
foster par ents and monitored by the agencies. It's no secret that
the breakdown of the nuclear family has caused an increase in the
need for foster care.

"We are seeing a lot more kids who are
beyond the control of their parents," said Banister. "Those
children just aren't following the rules or their parents just
aren't setting limits. We've seen some remarkable turn around in a
lot of those kids when they are placed in caring foster homes,
which do have stricter restrictions. Times have changed and with
both parents working, or more single-parent families, it puts more
stress on raising children."

Banister concedes that caring for
younger foster children is often easier than dealing with some
teenagers. Parents who have teens know that all too well. But,
Banister main tains, foster parents working with him in Modoc have
done wonders.

So what does it take to be a foster
parent. Topping the list is love and patience. For Environmental
Alternatives, the re quirements are as follows: 21 years of age or
older; good physical and emotional health; possessing skills,
attitude and stamina to deal with children; having a non-punitive
attitude demonstrating some level of acceptance toward par ents of
the children in care; working cooperatively with the foster care
agencies and accepting the temporary nature of foster care and
helping the child transition back to his fam ily or move on to a
permanent adoptive placement.

According to Banister, foster parents
are just good people who care about children. They may be married,
but it is pos sible to be a single foster parent. Some foster
parents have their own children at home, some have not had
children and some take in foster kids after their children have
been raised.

Anyone wanting to be a foster parent
should contact Banister at 233-3366. A background check will be
required as well as fingerprinting and there is about a 10-hour
train ing session involved. Banister helps with all the paperwork
and state regulations and guides the approval process along.
According to Banister, the state reimburses for foster care
expenses, usually between $625 to $750 per child per month.

Being a foster parent is not easy, but
it can have great re wards, said Banister. "We have seen some
wonderful trans formations of children when they realize they are
living in a safe and supportive environment," said Banister. "And
there are other times that cases keep me awake at night, just
trying to figure out what to do. Every child and situation is
different and our goal is to make sure they feel secure and out of
any danger."

The number of children need care has
increased, said Banister. That goes along with a problem of
substance abuse, a declining or stagnant economy, and the just the
overall state of the family.

"I believe this community cares about
children," said Banister. "We just need some more families willing
to help. It's not easy being a foster parent, but the rewards are
mak ing a difference in a young person's life. And foster parents
do make a difference."

Banister will be happy to sit down and
talk with anyone wishing to become a foster parent. Just call him
at 233-3366 and he'll be able to give people a frank and honest
picture of the need and the rewards of foster parents. Talking
with other foster parents is also a good way to find out whether
someone wants to get involved in the process of helping chil
dren.

Grazing fee stays at
$1.35

The grazing fee for West ern public
lands adminis tered by the Bureau of Land Management and the
Forest Service will be $1.35 per an nual unit month (AUM) in 1999,
which is the same amount charged in 1998.

The formula used for cal culating the
fee, established by Con-gress in the 1978 Pub lic Rangelands
Improve ment Act, has continued un der a presidential Executive Or
der issued in 1986.

An animal unit month is the amount of
forage needed to sustain one cow and her calf, one horse, or five
sheep or goats for a month. Under the 1986 presidential Execu tive
Order, the grazing fee cannot fall below $1.35 per AUM.

The annually adjusted grazing fee, which
takes ef fect March 1, is computed by using a 1966 base value of
$1.23 per AUM for livestock grazing on public lands in Western
States, The figure is then adjusted according to three factors;
current private grazing land lease rates, beef cattle prices, and
the cost of livestock production . Based on the formula, the 1999
fee remains at the same levels as 1998 because there was a small
decline in beef cattle prices and a small in crease in both
private land lease rates and livestock production costs.

The $1.35 per AUM graz ing fee applies
to lands in the West administered by the BLM and to National
Forests and National Grasslands administered by the Forest
Service.

The BLM, an agency of the U.S.
Department of the Interior, manages 264 mil lion acres of Federal
land, most of it in 12 Western States, including Alaska, for a
variety of pub lic uses and values, includ ing graz ing, outdoor
recre ation, wa tershed protection, wildlife habitat conserva
tion, and mining. The For est Service, an agency of the U.S. De
partment of Agricul ture, manages 191 million acres of Federal
lands in 44 states. Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The
Forest Service manages these lands for multiple uses in cluding
grazing.

Time to start thinking Pit
River Duck Race

The Rotary Clubs of Alturas are sending
out notices to businesses and supporters this week to start
thinking about the Duck Race set for Fandango Days in July.

The letter is asking for either a coupon
for inclusion in the valuable Duck Race coupon book, or to donate
one of the major prizes for the race.

The deadline for coupons or prizes is
March 15 and the 3,000 rubber ducks will go on sale April
15.

If a business does not receive a letter
about the Duck Race and would like to participate, or for more
informa tion please call Bill Madison at 233-3432.

The proceeds from the Duck race go into
the Alturas Youth Park.

Record news
for Feb. 25, 1999

Rite Aid builders just
waiting on weather

Sierra Club to oppose
Medicine Lake projects

Modoc loses 500
voters

BLM proposes closure of
Nelson Corral

AMVETS donate van for
local veterans

MPAT offer Fiddler on
the Roof

Rite Aid builders just
waiting on weather

The new Rite Aid store planned for Fifth
and Main Street in Alturas is a go, and the contractor is just
waiting for the weather to cooperate.

According to Reeve-Knight Construction,
Inc. Project Manager Mike Poderick, the Roseville company is
hoping to start building sometime at the end of March or early
April, but no firm start date has been set because of Modoc's
unpre dictable weather and cold snaps. The company last Fall, but
decided to wait until spring to begin construction after
consulting about the weather.

Poderick said the Rite Aid store for
Alturas will be about 11,000 square feet and will take between 120
to 130 days, on the average, to complete. He said some local
contractors will be used in the construction project.

According to Rite Aid literature, the
store will include a pharmacy, a convenience food mart, cosmetics,
gift and de partment store type items, and a one-hour photo
counter, sell ing film and photographic items. Rite Aid expects
the store to be open and operating by the spring of 2,000. It will
employ between 15 and 20 people.

The Reeve-Knight company has built
several Rite Aid Stores including one completed last week in
Redding and is now working on a remodel of the Rite Aid store in
Susanville.

According to Rite Aid's employment phone
line, the store usually begins hiring about a month before it
plans on open ing. For more information on jobs call
1-800-345-9444.

Sierra Club to oppose
projects

The Sierra club voted to oppose the
development of the Telephone Flat Geothermal Project near Medicine
Lake.

Two geothermal plants are proposed, one
to the Northwest of Medicine Lake known as the Fourmile Hill
Project, and one to the South east of Medicine Lake known as
Telephone Flat Project. Combined, the two projects would construct
up to 26 miles of transmission lines, and several miles of
associated pipelines and geothermal well pad sites.

"One of our main con cerns was the
threat of build ing transmission lines in side the 10,800 acre Mt.
Hoffman Roadless Area," said Kyle Haines, Conser-va tion Chair for
the Shasta Group of the Sierra Club. "This area provides impor
tant habitat for sensitive species such as the northern Goshawk
and American Marten, and is popular with visitors who come to
visit the large mounds of black glass-like obsidian" added Haines.
According to Forest Service publications, the Medicine Lake
Highlands are the result of the largest shield volcano in North
America, and contain sev eral glass flows. At over 7,000 feet,
Medicine Lake has no outlet, and is fed only by snowmelt and
several springs. It is a popular des tination site for campers,
fisherman and wildlife watchers who often see os prey and bald
eagles along the shoreline.

The Sierra Club has a na tional policy
that supports renewable energy develop ment projects including
geothermal energy. "We look at each project individ ually to
determine the im pacts to the "environment," said Rich Ferguson,
Energy Chair for Sierra Club Cali fornia. "Sometimes geoth-ermal
projects such as the Telephone Flat Project are at odds with club
policy," said Andy Sawyer, Legal Chair for the Chapter. "The club
has made roadless area protection a high priority be cause we feel
that these areas are important to wildlife and personal solitude."
Added Sawyer.

The Forest Service is ana lyzing the
effects of the pro posed geothermal projects, and has released
Environ mental Impact Reports for both projects. Two energy
companies, Cal Pines of San Jose, CA and Cal Energy of Omaha, NE
are making the geothermal projects as clean renewable energy
sources.

Modoc loses 500
voters

Modoc County "lost" 517 voters this
month as Modoc County Clerk Maxine Madison went carefully through
the rolls.

The Secretary of State re quires
counties to go through their registered voter lists and tag voters
who have not voted in the past four elections. For Modoc, that
amounted to about 10 per cent of the total registra tion.

The total "good" voter reg istration now
amounts to just over 5,100 voters. Madison said her office will be
sending a notice to those voters who haven't voted asking them if
they still reside in the same place or if they wish to remain
regis tered to vote.

"We were surprised there were so many
voters who haven't voted," said Madison. "We will be curious to
see how many of those 517 voters choose to remain or become
active."

BLM Proposes closure at
Nelson Corral

Although predicting the weather is
rather tricky business, one thing is cer tain: as Modoc moves into
spring, the northeast Cali fornia back country will be gin to thaw
out.

Along with the thaw come the muddy
roads. If the re cent past is any indication, damage to roads,
lake shore lines, meadows and other areas will occur as people
attempt early spring trips onto the public lands.

The Bureau of Land Management's Al turas
Field Office is hoping to limit damage with short-term vehicle
closures in the Nel son Corral Reservoir and Delta Reservoir
areas, where impacts have been es pecially serious.

Temporary closures are proposed for
BLM-managed lands bounded by Likely Mountain/South Fork Moun tain
Road on the north, Ash Valley Road on the south, High way 395 on
the east and Knox Mountain Road on the west. This would close vehi
cle access to the Nelson Cor ral Reservoir. BLM also proposes to
temporarily close vehicle access to Delta Reservoir at Bayley Dam,
from the old Likely Mill, and from the Likely area east of the
reservoir.

"We know these limited closures might
cause some inconvenience for those who want to get into these
areas for some early spring fish ing." said Alturas Field Man ager
Tim Burke, "but the damage we have been seeing to roads and
adjacent areas has been substantial."

In addition to causing deep ruts and mud
holes on roads, people attempting to drive through muddy areas
have damaged mead ows as they drive further around stuck vehi cles
and mud holes. These meadows pro vide important habitat for
waterfowl and other wildlife. Burke said the damage also im pacts
water quality in streams and lakes, and is expensive to
repair.

BLM proposes to close the areas from
March 12 to May 31, depending on local con di tions. Anyone
interested can comment on the proposal by writing to the BLM, 708
West 12th St., Alturas, CA 96101, by visiting the of fice, or by
phoning (530) 233-4666.

AMVETS donate van to Modoc
veterans

In a stroke of absolute generosity,
Modoc County military veterans have been given a free ride to the
Reno or Redding Veteran's hospitals.

AMVETS, American Veterans of World War
II, Korea and Vietnam, has donated a new Chevy all-wheel drive
seven-passenger van to transport local veterans. According to
Modoc Veterans Service Officer Lillian Schoenheide, the new van,
which should be here in April is a Godsend. Modoc County veterans
have been trying to get a van for years and had actually started a
fundraising project. "Originally, the van was going to come though
Disabled American Veterans and we needed about a $9,000 match,"
said Schoenheide. "We were working on raising those funds when my
acquaintances with AMVET said they could help. And AMVET funded
the whole thing."

The money raised locally, about $2,000
for the van, will be used to help get the new van coordinator's
office going. That office will be in charge of scheduling trips
and responding to emergency needs. The DAV's Gordon Hueghen will
get that started and has 14 volunteer drivers on line. The phone
number for the coordinator's office is 503-233-5787.

Schoenheide said the AMVET van will be
available to any Modoc veteran and gas, maintenance and insurance
are all paid. "There is no county money going into this van or its
operation," she said. "This is a very good deal for local
veterans." The van will be available to any veteran for trips to
the Veterans hospital in Reno or Redding and can be garnered at a
moment's notice, if required. The coordinator will also schedule
regular trips for veterans to make scheduled ap pointments as well
as coordinate with the Susanville van. The ride is absolutely fee
to veterans, said Schoenheide.

She explains that as the active veteran
population grows older, there are fewer and fewer people able to
take veterans to their appointments. The new van will fill that
gap and volunteers drivers are still needed.

While there is not an AMVETS chapter in
Modoc, it is a long-standing veterans organization. It was born in
1943 and officially formed in December, 1944 as the American
Veterans of World War II. It's goals are as follows: "To promote
world peace, preserve the American way of life, and to help the
veteran help himself."

The AMVETS Post out of Reno, was the
benefactor of the van for Modoc's veterans.

Schoenheide also said there is a new
phone number for the VA Medical Center in Reno, 1-888-838-6256.
That number can be used for all calls but does not connect to
patients' rooms.

MPAT sets for Fiddler on
the Roof

Exactly three weeks from today, the
Niles Theatre will be transformed into the Russian Village of
Anatevka, for open ing night of "Fiddler on the Roof," presented
by the Modoc Performing Arts Theatre (MPAT).

The production will run Thursday through
Sunday, March 18-21, and the following weekend, Friday through
Sunday, March 26-28. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances
will begin at 8:00 a.m. Sunday performances will be 3:00 p.m.
matinees.

"Fiddler on the Roof" is being produced
by Leslie Chace and directed by Sandy Bolden. Gerry Gates is
assistant di rector and Sally Clark is music director.

The musical, which features songs such
as, "Tradition" and "Sunrise, Sunset", is set in 1905 as
tremendous changes are about to take place in Russia, and in the
village of Anat evka.

The main character, Tevye, played by
Trent Judson, is a Jewish milkman trying to make a meager living
to support his wife Golde (played by Terri Jacobson) and their
five daughters. What keeps them going are their traditions.

"Without our traditions, our lives would
be as shaky as ... as a fiddler on the roof!" Tevye says in the
opening scene.

However, those traditions start to break
down as Tevye's daughters make their way in the world. Things
appear to be taking the usual course as Yente the matchmaker
(Nancy North-Gates) sets up a match between Tevye's eldest daugh
ter Tzeitel (Rebekah Richert) and the rich widower Lazar Wolf
(Geoff Griffin).

Motel and Tzeitel convince Tevye to
break the deal with Lazar Wolf and let them get married. Lazar
convinces Golde that the two should get married by telling his
wife about a dream he had where he was visited by Golde's
Grandmother (Edie Asrow) and Lazar Wolf's dead wife (Josanna
Clark).

Once the tradition of matchmaking
marriages is broken, Tevye's next daughter, Hodel (Crystal
Bodmer), decides to marry a visiting revolutionary named Perchik
(Jeran Brown).

The third daughter, Chava (Wendy Clark)
goes even further by marrying outside the faith. Her union with
the Russian Christian named Fyedka (Dan Hoover) pushes Tevye to
the limit of finding out what he is willing to accept when it
comes to breaking the old traditions.

Little does he know that there are even
more changes to come. Who knows what might happen with his two
youngest daughters, Sprintze and Bielke (Samantha Brush and Alex
Griffin).

The
forecast: It's mostly cloudy
today with a chance of rain or snow this evening. Showers are
expected Friday through Sunday and variable cloudiness prevails.
Looks for 30s as lows and 40s to 50s as highs.

BLM reconsiders closing
popular fishing spots

Following an informative and rather
friendly meeting Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management said it
may re consider closing two popular fishing spots in Modoc County:
Nelson Corral and Delta Reservoirs from March 12 to May 31.

BLM Alturas Area manager Tim Burke was
on hand for the Supervisors discussion and while the initial
report was about why the BLM was closing the areas because of road
damage, it moved into a discussion of alternatives. The road
closures will not take effect without another meeting with the
county.

The BLM was concerned about road damage
going into both areas because of the wet and muddy conditions.
According to Burke, there was massive damage to the roads last
season and to some meadows areas along the roads.

Roads going into both Nelson Corral and
Delta are not smooth, under any circumstances, and become more of
a problem when they are wet.

Supervisor Ron McIntyre said he was
concerned about closing any public land areas and the access into
those ar eas. He told Burke he was involved with the agency in the
recent past as an effort to make the reservoirs more produc tive
as trout fisheries. He said he hates to see them closed now that
they have been successful.

Local resident John Dederick said he
felt the closure was unwarranted as well as being proposed without
enough time for public comment. He asked that the comment period
be extended so that people who frequent those reservoirs have a
chance to comment.

According to Dederick, the two
reservoirs are generally fished soon after ice break in March and
are good until about June. After that, the shallow reservoirs
become mossy and weed-filled.

"You can't eat the fish out of those
reservoirs in the sum mer," said Dederick. "The public only had
eight days to comment and that's not enough notice. The BLM is
propos ing to close the areas during their prime fishing time."
Dederick also said that most fishermen do not damage the roads
going into those areas. He said a minority of people may try to
get into the areas when it is unwise, but most are aware of
conditions and don't do damage. He also pointed out that the area
going into Delta was pretty much void of meadow areas, and instead
had more adobe flats.

"I would like to see the BLM take a
little more time and find solutions to the problem, not close the
area," said Dederick.

Burke told the board he saw no problem
in holding off on the closure. He also said the closures of the
area, if they did happen, would be by signage and enforcement, not
by lock ing gates.

In other action Tuesday, the Board
adopted the Goose Lake Working Group's plan as a Local Recovery
Plan for the Redband Trout. That places the federal Fish and
Wildlife Service in a position to detail why the local recovery
plan won't work before adopting one of its own. The Fish and
Wildlife Service is proposing the redband trout of Goose Lake and
tributaries for the Endangered and Threatened species list.

The Goose Lake plan, with cooperation
from area ranch ers and agencies, was an effort to stabilize and
protect the redband habitat and keep the trout off the endangered
species list.

According to Sean Curtis, the local plan
has been working and the Goose Lake Working Group has data to show
that habitat has been improved and population and spawning numbers
of trout are increasing.

The Board also interviewed candidates
and appointed Cheryl Baker, Alturas, as the new Modoc County
Librarian. Baker, who has been working as the Assistant Librarian,
and then as the interim Librarian assumes the post held by
Godelieve Uyttenhove, who took as similar post near Eureka. Baker
has a Master's Degree in Library Science and takes over
immediately.

The county also discussed rules of
procedure for board op erations, a free dump day in the county, a
resolution dealing with answering machines in county offices, and
a bounty on coyotes. Those issues were carried over to a future
hearing.

Telephone Flat EIS due on
March 5

The final Environmental Impact
Statement/Envir-on mental Im pact Report (EIS/EIR) on a proposed
geothermal devel opment at Telephone Flat, east of Medicine Lake
will be avail able for public re view Friday, March 5.

The document, which an a lyzes the
environmental im pacts of the proposed de velop ment and several
al terna tives, will be mailed to those who have requested it. Any
one interested can get a copy by contacting the Modoc Na tional
Forest, (530) 233-5811, or the Bureau of Land man agement's
Alturas Field Of fice, (530) 233-4666.

Release of the EIS/EIR be gins a
notification period that ends April 5. During this pe riod,
written informa tion on the EIS/EIR can be submitted to: Randall
Sharp, Modoc National Forest, 800 W. 12th St., Alturas, CA
96101.

Following the notification period, the
BLM and Forest Service will announce their decisions on the
proposed pro ject.

In addition to this notifi ca tion
period, the Siskiyou County Air Pollution Control District Board
will hold a pub lic hearing regarding the EIS/EIR. That board must
"certify" the environmental document before the project may
proceed.

The development proposed by the
California Energy General Corp. includes a 49-megawatt geothermal
power plant, geothermal production wells, geothermal pipelines and
injection wells. An elec tric transmission line would connect the
plant with an ex isting Bonneville Power Ad ministration line east
of Medicine Lake.

Environmental analysis has been
completed, but no de cision has been issued, for the proposd Four
Mile Hill geothermal development no-rthwest of Medicine Lake. The
project, also for a 49-megawatt power plant and re lated
developments, is pro posed by the Calpine Corp.

Both projects are proposed within the
Medicine Lake Known Geothermal Re source Area on sites leased
during the 1980's. They are proposed for geothermal leases admin
istered by the BLM within the Modoc and Klamath national forests.
Both are in Siskiyou County.

Friends of Wrymoo make
plans

Friends of Wrymoo Railroad Museum held
their monthly board meeting on February 6. Plans are under way for
Railroad Fund Days, scheduled for July 5, 1999. Dis play or food
tables will be available for a $25 donation. Suggestions are
welcomed.

Friends' members who have received their
renewal ap plication should remit them as soon as possible. For
more information on any of the above items, please write to Al
turas Wrymoo Railroad Museum, P.O. Box 175, Alturas, CA 96101 or
call (530) 233-2576.

New Assistant DA hits job
running

For new assistant District Attorney
Jordan Funk, the transition into the position didn't take long,
there wasn't much free time.

Funk came on board the first part of
January when new District Attorney Tom Buckwalter officially took
office. There was plenty to do and Funk dove right in.

He came to Modoc from Hamilton, Montana
where he had set up a private prac tice following a seven-year
stint in Contra Costa County as a Deputy District Attorney.

While he enjoyed the private practice
and Montana, Funk said he yearned to get back to prosecution and
criminal law.

"I missed being a prosecu tor and its
diver sity and wanted to come to a rural area," said Funk. "So
far, people here have been very friendly and helpful. I like the
area, al though was a little taken back at its remote ness. Not
many people would be lieve there is a place like this in
California."

Funk was raised on a farm in Utah and
graduated from Utah State University, in Logan. He then went to
California and grad uated from University of Pacific's McGeorge
School of Law in 1990.

He said the justice system in Modoc is
fair, efficient and professional. His view of a good prosecutor is
one who seeks justice in all cases and treats all cases equally in
the eyes of the law.

Funk said he enjoys being in the county
and likes the area. His wife, De, and four children, ages 16, 12,
eight and two will be moving to Modoc when school is out for the
sum mer.

Renowned guitarist in
concert here March 17

The late Maestro Andres Segovia called
guitarist David Burgess, "AnAssistant DA hits ground ent tech
nique." Modoc residents will have the rare opportunity to see and
hear David Burgess perform in concert in Alturas on Wednesday,
March 17 at the A.C.T Niles Theater, 7:30 p.m.

From colorful and romantic haunting
melodies to fiery flamenco music, Burgess' polished technique and
flam boyant style have been praised by critics through North and
South America, Europe and the Far East. A former student of Andres
Segovia, Burgess has won prizes in interna tional guitar
competitions in New York, Mexico City, Toronto and Munich.

Currently residing in New York City,
Burgess has per formed in Carnegie Recital Hall and at Lincoln
Center. He has recorded for Musical Heritage Society and record
companies as well as recorded Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez"
with the Philharmonic Virtuosi of New York on the CBS Masterworks
label. His CD "Silver Nugget and Fool's Gold" can be heard on
KCHO-FM, Chico at 103.4 FM public radio now through March
17.

His program in Alturas will include some
of the finest Spanish works by Isaac Albeniz, Enrique Granados,
along with Latin America music by Agustin Barrios and Antonio
Carlos Jobim.

This special concert performance is
being presented by Modoc County Office of Education, Modoc County
Arts Council, Inc., Alturas Community Theater, California Arts
Council and Modoc Joint, Surprise Valley Joint and Tulelake Basin
Joint Unified School Districts.

Tickets are $6 general admission at the
door; $4 for se niors and students. Tickets may be purchased in
advance at Pizza & Pasta Place, Alturas.

Jobless rates goes up to
13%

The Modoc unemployment rate rose to 13
percent for the month of January, 1999. That's up from December,
1998's 10.8 percent and November's 9.2 percent.

The good news is that the January 1999
rate is down from the 1998 jobless rate of 16.8 percent.

Marin has the least unemployment at 2.2
percent and Colusa has the highest unemployment at 31.7
percent.

Kay Minto, Art.Rage.Us.
opens at Los Angeles show; educates at Tahoe

Art. Rage. Us - the exhibit of art and
writ ing by women faced with breast cancer, will open with Kay
Minto's unique, powerful and grace ful "Nike of Mastectomy," as
one of the pro found show pieces at the Los Angeles Pub lic
Library's Central Li brary in the Getty Gallery, dur ing a public
display from March 6 through May 30.

Last April, Eagleville sculptor/artist
Minto had the honor of displaying her Nike of Mastectomy at San
Francisco's new and mod ern library in a premiere of the Art.
Rage. Us. show. Minto's "Nike" combines Modoc's Lava rock with
T.I.G.-welded alu minum.

This year's first show in Los Angeles,
has also prompted the Art.Rage.Us. show to be considered in other
large metropolitan cities throughout the United States, as a
unique tool to help educate and make women and their loved ones
aware of breast cancer.

In collaboration, a 176-page commemora
tive book with all selected writing and color re productions of
the art, will be on sale at Central Li brary, L.A. The writings of
fer intensely personal statement that provide a window into women
with breast cancer, their hearts and minds. They explore the emo
tional complexity of the experience of breast cancer from di
agnosis and treat ment to liv ing with the ill ness and
contemplating death.

Many breast cancer pa tients, including
Minto have used art and writing as part of their healing. The
collec tion of work pro vides a unique glimpse into the pri vate
world of breast cancer from more than 75 women in the U.S., Canada
and Eu rope.

The Art. Rage. Us Coali tion received
more than 500 submissions of art and writ ing. Works selected,
includ ing Minto's, for the exhibit were chosen through a jury
process and include draw ings, sculpture, photogra phy, paintings,
textile works and ceramics as well as poetry, essays, short
stories and videos. Each selected piece is accompanied by a brief
statement about the women's expe rience with the disease and her
artistic pro cess.

In addition to the exhibit, the library
will also host several breast cancer educa tion and awareness pro
grams developed by local community organizations.

Minto will also be reach ing out in her
spe cial artistic way to younger gen erations at the fourth annual
Board ing for Breast Can cer" event on Saturday, April 17 at
Sierra Tahoe Resort.

Last year's event drew five rock bands
who per formed with 6000 people at tending. Be cause the event
falls at the same time as the Art.Rage.Us. display in Los Angeles,
Minto plans to pro duce posters of her Nike of Mas tectomy, and
take her self-confrontation sculp ture. "Self Confronta tion," a
five-foot, four-inch sculpture with a mirror face, will be dis
played at the popular event for a day full of entertain ment and
education.

The event targets women in their 20s who
need to know they are at risk for breast can cer, "with one in
eight women diag nosed as having breast can cer these days, versus
one in 20 in the past," says Minto, a survivor of breast
cancer.

"This event draws many young people and
has proven to be a very valuable form of communication. It's a
great way to educate and validates a young woman's responsi bil
ity for her body," explains Minto. "If you find a lump [breast],
do something about it," she stressed.

The occasion increases aware ness about
breast can cer, re search and education and helps raise funds for
breast cancer research. The popular event will branch out to
eastern ski areas in the near future, notes Minto.

The event was launched in memory of
Monica Stew ard, a prominent member of the snowboard industry and
co-owner of Bonfire, a snow board clothing company. Steward was
diagnosed with breast cancer at age 26 and passed away at the age
of 29 in early 1996, shortly before the inaugural "Boarding for
Breast Cancer" event be came a reality.

Now considered the largest snowboard
benefit in the world, the BBC event has em braced the music com
munities with top flight en tertainment.

BBC brings in big sounds, loud and proud
vibes and new, donated snowboards to be given in drawings, along
with clothing and acces sories, plus world-class pro snowboard ers
half pipe and big air exhibitions, free snowboard lessons and
demonstrations.

Amid the flurry of ex citement, big spon
sors, top riders and big bands will be the solid and enlightening
message to young people to "know more, educate plus reduce risk."
Photo exhibits, information booths and awareness and education
exhibits on Breast Cancer plus Minto's head-turning art will all
help to promote that message.

It is by way of "Healing Legacies," an
artists' slide registry, that Minto became in volved in BBC.
Healing Legacies is housed in the same building that Fuse Sports
Mar ket ing is located in, in Vermont. In response to Steward's
death, BBC was organized in a few furious months by her friends at
W.I.G. magazine and Lisa Hudson of Twist Cloth ing, and Fuse
Integrated Sports Marketing. Minto was se lected as the west coast
repre sen tative for "Healing Legacies."

In just three short years, BBC, a
national non-profit group, is dedicated to doing a bet ter job of
detecting, treat ing and curing breast can cer through cutting
edge re search and edu cational pro grams.

Record News
summaries for March 18, 1999

Sheriff Mix calls NRA
attack a mistake

Rite Aid Store for
Alturas under evaluation

Treasurer wants more
aggressive investing

Bowling Alley owners
sue City of Alturas

MPAT opens with new
play "Fiddler on the Roof"

Sheriff Mix calls NRA
attack a major mistake

Modoc County Sheriff Bruce Mix calls a
widely-dis tributed letter from the National Rifle Association
accusing him of supporting a new state senate assault weapon bill
"ludicrous."

"Anyone who knows anything about me
knows better than that," said an angry Mix Tuesday. "My philosophy
is and always has been that we deal with the perpetrators of crime
not the implements they use. I believe strongly in the Second
Amendment and that all citizens have the right to bear arms and
protect themselves."

Mix has received several calls and
visits from local con cerned members of the NRA and most were not
all that friendly in the beginning of the talk. Mix has been able
to calm down the anger once he explains the situation.

In a letter from the NRA's Institute of
Legislative Action dated March 8, the association accused Mix of
being co-chairman of the California Attorney General's "Assault
Weapons" Task Force and of supporting a new Senate Bill 23, which
the NRA calls the strictest gun ban in the nation.

"I oppose SB 23 and I was not
co-chairman of the Attorney General's Committee," said Mix. "I was
a member of that committee and I argued against the provisions of
SB 23. The NRA made a mistake and I've called them to tell them
that. I don't hold it against the NRA, but a couple of their
people need to get the facts right."

The NRA letter said Mix agreed to the
following provi sions of SB 23: make all detachable centerfire and
rimfire magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds illegal
to possess; for citizens to pay to have magazines modified so they
could not hold more than 10 rounds, the failure to modify the
magazines would result in arrest; and make it illegal for
law-abiding concealed weapon permit holders, both civil ian and
retired law-enforcement, to carry or possess maga zines that hold
more than 10 rounds."

"Call Sheriff Mix . . . and ask him why
he is attacking our rights," the NRA letter states. "Let Sheriff
Mix know that if he seeks re-election, gun owners will not forget
this when they go to the polls."

Mix called that document a "hit letter"
and said he hoped the NRA would clear up the matter and release a
corrected version in the near future. Mix is generally regarded lo
cally and statewide as a protector of gun-owners' rights.

According to the NRA, SB 23 would make
it a crime to loan a 15-round M1 Carbine magazine to a friend at
the range. The proposal also goes as far, says the NRA, as to out
law rifles like the Remington 552 tube-fed .22 long rifle and
would classify virtually all centerfire rifles -- like the popu
lar Browning BAR hunting rifle -- as an assault weapon.

"The .22's in question are what a lot of
local folks have and use for shooting squirrels," said Mix. "Many
of us had those rifles when we were kids. Who in their right mind
would think I'd support anything that banned those rifles?"

Alturas Rite Aid store
under new evaluation

Faced with apparent real estate problems
nationally, Rite Aid last Friday said it would cut the number of
stores it plans to build in 1999 from 578 to 300.

According to Rite Aid Public Relations'
Allison Costello, the planned store for Alturas is one of the
stores on the evaluation list. She said there has been no decision
at the corporate level yet as to the fate of the local facility.
Costello said she isn't certain as to a date the final deci sions
will be made, but will inform local officials of the
outcome.

Rite Aid has plans to build a nearly new
11,000 square foot store at Fifth and Main Streets in Alturas.
Construction was scheduled to start this spring on the fa cility,
but that date will probably be put on hold until the company
analyzes its financial position and direction.

The Alturas store would feature a
pharmacy, including a drive through window, convenience food
items, general merchandise, cosmetics and one-hour photo
service.

According to news reports, Rite Aid
suffered a steep shortfall in fourth quarter earnings to the costs
of opening and relocating stores. Rite Aid also expects stock earn
ings to fall to below predicted values.

Rite Aid is the third largest drugstore
chain the coun try, and stresses it has confidence in the new
stores it has opened and those it plans to open. It expects 1999
to be a bet ter year.

Treasurer wants more
aggressive investment

Modoc County Treasurer Cheryl Knoch, who
took office in January, has wasted little time in an effort to
make the county's investment activities more aggressive.

Tuesday she presented a proposal to the
Board of Supervisors asking them to consider approval of an in
vest ment advisory contract with Pillar Point Capital Management,
Inc.

Knoch told the board that Pillar Point
has managed funds for several California counties, including
Plumas, Sierra and Glenn and those counties were very pleased with
the re sults.

Knoch said she wanted to be more
aggressive in the in vestment of county funds, as well as limiting
risk, in an ef fort to give the county the best and safest returns
possi ble on investment.

Dan Calabrese of Pillar Point presented
his plan to the board, which was generally supportive and pleased
with the idea. He told the board his company would help provide
goals, planning, strategy and documentation to assist in the
county's investment prac tices. He stressed his com pany is fee
only and does not receive commissions. Knoch is the in vestment
authority for Modoc.

Supervisors did not take action on the
item Tuesday, ask ing County Counsel Tom Buckwalter to look into
the process set up by county code governing investment prac tices.
They are expected to take action at the next meet ing. Only three
board mem bers were present at Tuesday's meeting, Terry Williams,
Ron McIntyre and Nancy Huffman. Those three felt the entire board
should make the decision.

In other action, the Board voted to move
forward with the purchase of a new informa tion system, including
billing, for Modoc Medical Center at a cost of about $180,000.
Administrative Officer Mike Maxwell told the board a re cently
awarded state grant of $50,000 would make the down payment and the
equipment, which is sorely needed, would be paid off in five
years.

The Hospital's Teresa Jacques told the
board the new billing system will help the hospital immeasurably
as it will produce customer-friendly bills, which should be accu
rate. The current sys tem has been a thorn in the hospital's
operation for years and is wholly outdated.

Maxwell also reported that the future of
the hospital was looking much better as the University of Southern
California has completed its analysis and suggests a coop erative
management ar rangement with the county. USC staff has been to
Modoc and assessed the situation, finding some workable op
tions.

According to Maxwell, USC, the county
and hospital trustees will meet April 19, tentatively, and the
supervi sors may be able to approve a contract arrangement on
April 20.

The details of that contract will be
made available in April and Maxwell said ini tial conversations
with USC have been very promising.

The board also drafted a letter to the
Department of Fish and Game requesting a warden be located in the
Big Valley area.

Bowling Alley owners sue
Alturas

The owners of the now closed Alturas
bowling alley, Norm and Mary Lakey, have filed a civil rights
lawsuit against the City of Alturas, the Alturas Volunteer Fire
Department and Wayne Bethel.

That suit was filed in January in the
U.S. Eastern District Court in Sacramento alleg ing a deprivation
of the Lakey's rights of free speech, equal protection and due pro
cess.

The city has filed a motion to dismiss
the suit as being without merit on all counts, in cluding it, the
Police Department and the Fire Department.

The suit emanates from an incident on
January 16, 1998, when Bethel fired several ri fle rounds into the
back of the bowling alley from the Alturas Fire Department
building across the street. The Lakeys are filing suit against the
Fire Department, which Bethel was a member, and Bethel as an
individual. Bethel pled guilty to two mis demeanors in the case
and served 30 days in the county jail, and remains on proba
tion.

The Lakeys are alleging the incident
caused physical damage to the building and emotional distress to
them and their cus tomers. The Lakeys allege that the inci dent
and "subsequent loss of business" caused them to eventually move
from Modoc and give up their business.

The Lakey's are also ac cusing the
Alturas Police Department of mishandling or mis representing the
inci dent and the Fire Department of also covering up the inci
dent to protect itself and Bethel.

The Lakeys are asking, among other
things, for mone tary damages covering the loss of business,
emotional pain and suffer ing, inconve nience, humiliation and
mental anguish as well as attorney fees and punitive
damages.

MPAT openms season with
"Fiddler on the Roof"

The Modoc Performing Arts Theatre
production of "Fiddler on the Roof", di rected by Sandy Boldon,
pre mieres tonight at the Niles Theatre at 8:00 p.m. Along with a
brand new show, comes a new talent, Trent Judson, in the lead role
of Tevye.

Judson moved from Visalia to Alturas a
little less than a year ago and will be making his first ever
perfor mance with MPAT.

"Fiddler" will run March 18, 19 and 20
(Thursday, Fri day and Saturday) at 8:00 p.m. and on Sunday, March
21, at 3:00 p.m. Next week end, there will be 8:00 p.m. runs on
March 26 and 27 (Friday and Saturday) with a final Sun day matinee
at 3:00 p.m. on March 28. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for se
niors and students. They may be pur chased at Pizza & Pasta
Place, the Niles Theatre box office or at the door at the time of
the performance.

Judson, a Wyoming na tive, has performed
in other mu sicals in other places be fore, including "Guys and
Dolls", "Man of La Mancha" and "Carousel". He also made his living
as a musi cian for a couple of years while playing in a band in
clubs around Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.

On the surface, Tevye ap pears to be a
simple Jewish milkman living in the Rus sian village of Anatevka
in 1905. However, the musical shows Tevye having to deal with the
very complex strug gle between progress and conti nuity. Tevye
tries to bal ance changes that are taking place in the world and
in his own family with the Jewish tradi tions that address almost
every area of his life, includ ing even eating and dress ing.

"He straddles that line," Judson says of
the character he will portray. "He's got one foot in the
traditional world where he was raised and one foot in the modern
world, where he sees that impor tant things are taking place. He
realizes that some changes can't be stopped. Throughout the play
he fights these battles within himself."

Some of the changes are ob viously for
the better. For ex ample, Tevye convinces his wife Golde, played
by Terri Jacobson, to allow their five daughters to be educated,
something that was a very novel idea in that time and
place.

However, there is also no telling where
the road to change will lead once you have started down it. Or as
Tevye sings at one point, "One little time you pull out a prop,
and where does it stop? Where does it stop?"

Tevye and Golde's five daughters, played
by Rebekah Richert, Crystal Bodmer, Wendy Clark, Samantha Brush
and Alex Griffin, are giving their parents a first-hand look at
the conflict be tween change and tradition. The el dest, Tzeitel,
played by Richert, makes a pledge to marry Motel the Tailor (David
Ash) without first con sulting her father or Yente the village
matchmaker (Nancy North-Gates).

When Tevye allows Motel and Tzeitel to
choose to marry each other, something that has never been done
before in that community, he probably has no idea that his next
two daughters will push things even further in their relation
ships with a radical student named Perchik (Jeran Brown) and a
Russian named Fyedka (Dan Hoover).

Judson points out that rela tions
between parents and kids haven't changed much from 1905 to 1999,
just the is sues they disagree over. The children of every
generation make changes that the parents try to understand.

In his own life, Judson has seen the
times change to the point where, "There's a lot less prejudice in
the world than there was in my parent's generation."

In turn, Judson's genera tion has had to
try to under stand the choices of their own children.

"A lot of what Tevye goes through is the
same sort of stuff we deal with today. We have to do the same
battles with our own kids. They make choices that 20 years ago we
never would have thought of making."

Besides the changes going on in Tevye's
own family, the outside world is also bringing upheaval as Tevye
and his Jewish community try to peacefully co-exist with the Rus
sian majority. This un comfortable relationship be tween the two
groups of people is reflected in the careful friendship between
Tevye and the local Constable (Jim Laacke).

Trying to hold on to what is important
amidst a chang ing world leads Tevye to reason that, "In our
little village of Anatevka, you might say ev ery one of us is a
fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant simple tune
without breaking his neck."

Set design is by Mike Hal derman and
costume design is by Nancy North-Gates. Props and Set Decoration
are being handled by Karen Hays.

Record news
for March 25, 1999

WASC Committee airs
report on Modoc High

Vandals damage several
golf carts at Arrowhead

Layoff notices issued
to 4 Modoc teachers

SV Squirrel hunt is
rounding up

Health Fair is a great
deal

Artist takes own
life

WASC Committee gives
assessment of Modoc High

After 18 months of forms,
correspondences, committee meetings, focus groups and campus
visits, the Western As sociation of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
finally gave its assessment of the strengths and weaknesses it
sees at Modoc High School. The WASC committee gave a report of its
find ings yesterday afternoon.

The committee of four educators will
make a recommen dation, which will not be disclosed, to the WASC
organiza tion about how soon an assessment needs to be done again
at MHS. WASC will then make its own determination of when the next
assessment needs to be conducted.

WASC can choose anywhere between one and
six years for the next assessment. One year would indicate that
WASC feels there are many areas that need to be checked up on,
whereas six years would indicate that things are going smoothly.
WASC will make this determination in the next few weeks.

On Wednesday, the four person committee
that has spent several days on campus, gave strong praise for the
faculty and students at Modoc.

"I've been very impressed with your
students," said com mittee member Bill Zeller, a Vice Principal at
Yuba High School. He described MHS students as "bright, candid and
conversant," as well as "extremely well-mannered" and even
"joyful."

Zeller also pointed out that one-half of
all graduating Modoc seniors took the SAT this year.

"That's an exceptionally good rate," he
said.

The Modoc faculty got high marks for the
many extra things they do, such as informally collaborating on
thematic teaching projects, advising students on academic and ca
reer decisions, making time to work with students individ ually,
and making a wide variety of extra and co-curricular activities
available.

"It's because you stretch yourselves
that this happens," faculty members were told by Committee
Chairperson Sharon Loucks, Director of Secondary Education for the
Washington Unified School District in Sacramento.

Committee member Jack Walsh, a teacher
at Anderson High School, said, "I met a lot of very caring,
intelligent, hard-working teachers here. You're very lucky to have
these people."

The Modoc campus also received high
marks for cleanli ness and safety. Loucks, who is used to seeing
gang patrols and teachers with walkie-talkies in Sacramento, said
she was very impressed with how safe it is at MHS as compared with
high schools in larger cities.

"I'll tell stories about this place for
a long time," she said. "Everyone should die and come up
here."

The WASC committee also liked the
school's Agriculture and Natural Resources Academy, the Special
Education programs, student-teacher ratios and the effort to look
at school wide learning results.

However, the committee also identified
areas that it would like MHS to take a closer look at and
follow-up on.

One area of concern is to make a clear
distinction be tween what duties will be handled on-site at MHS,
and what should be handled by the Modoc Joint Unified School Dis
trict. The committee found there was a lack of clarity on these
issues.

In two areas or the report the committee
brought up the need for a comprehensive technology plan that gives
students more access to computers and the internet.

Other areas to focus on included:
greater involvement of parents and the community, creating a
leadership infras tructure among the faculty, a cohesive career
services plan, making instructional strategies "more consistent
across the whole program," and developing a delivery system that
will help students "be more connected to health services available
to them," including information on drugs, sexually trans mitted
diseases and pregnancy.

Vandals damage 12 carts at
city's Arrowhead golf course

Sometime after 10 p.m. Tuesday night,
vandals damaged at least 12 golf carts, most privately owned, at
Arrowhead Golf Course at the end of north Warner Street in
Alturas.

According to Alturas Chief of Police
Larry Pickett, dam age to the carts ranged from ma jor to minor,
but was exten sive. In addition, the vandals broke six expensive
sprinkler heads on the nursery portion of the course.

"We found beer bottles on the course and
a lot of the carts had broken roofs, crunched bumpers and dented
sides," said manager Rod Gately. "It looked as though whomever did
this drove all over the course playing fol low the leader and
bumper cars."

Manager Brad Server said most of the
carts were brought back to the storage sheds, but one was left in
a barbed wire fence off of hole number eight.

"The first thing we checked after the
carts was the greens, and luckily they did not damage them,"
Server said. "We were wor ried they might have been spinning
brodies on the greens. We're fortunate they didn't."

Pickett said there is reason to believe
the incident oc curred after 10 p.m., because neighbors of the
golf course were up until at least that time and did not witness
anything unusual.

Pickett said police are continuing the
in vestigate clues in the incident. A damage es timate has not be
tabulated, but Pickett said it could be substantial.

A reward will be offered for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals involved
in the vandalism.

Layoffs set to four
teachers

Modoc Joint Unified School District,
faced with a drop in enrollment of about 100 students, has issued
layoff notices to four teachers.

Superintendent Craig Drennan said the
district is treat ing this enrollment downturn in a cautious mode
and is go ing as slowly as realistically possible in staff
reductions.

Drennan said the district is keeping
tabs on enrollment figures and is hoping the downturn this year is
abnormal and the student population will rebound in the near
future.

Several schools throughout the
northstate are experienc ing downward enrollment shifts and are
making adjust ments to handle the drops. Schools in the
Burney-Fall River area are facing several layoff notices and
teachers have gone to the public in support of teacher salaries
and reten tion.

The MJUSD is also advertising for a new
Modoc High School Principal, after accepting the
resignation/retirement of Duke Pasquini. Pasquini's retirement is
effective at the end of this year and Drennan is hoping a
replacement is found by that time, but the job will be left open
until filled.

The principal's position is being now
being advertised in statewide school publications.

SV Squirrel Rounds up

The one-day annual Squirrel Round-up
hosted by the Greater Surprise Valley Chamber of Commerce will
kick off Saturday, March 27 with a start time of 7:00 a.m. and
ending at 4:00 p.m.

The public is invited to enjoy the
awards evening, beef barbecue and silent auction at the Modoc
District Fair grounds Restaurant starting at 5:00 p.m. Door prizes
do nated by local businesses will be given to lucky hunters.
Dinner tickets are available at Page's Market, Surprise Valley
Auto Parts and the Chamber of Commerce office, Main Street,
Cedarville.

Health Fair offers
something for everyone Saturday morning

All ages will be taking a look at
personal wellness in a festive setting this Saturday, March 27
when the "Share the Spirit of Good Health" Modoc County Health
Fair opens in the Griswold Gym at Modoc High School, Eighth
Street, Alturas.

Free health screenings, give-a-ways for
free health-related gifts, information and transportation to the
Health Fair will be made available to everyone who comes through
the doors from 8:00 a.m. 12:00 noon.

Admission is free and all health screen
ing services will be free to the public. This fifth annual event
is sponsored by Modoc County Health Services, Modoc Indian Health
Project, Modoc Medial Center and Families Matter.

"It's going to be a great team effort,"
offers Kelly Crosby, Deputy Director of Modoc County Public Health
and a Health Fair co ordinator. "We should have about 30 booths or
stations and all decorated this year."

No one should go without transportation,
as reservations for rides to the health fair can be arranged by
calling Liz at Sage Stage at 233-3595 starting today.

Modoc Health Services was able to
contract the services of Sage Stage through MediCal and Dental
Screening grant funding to bring people to the Health Fair for the
screenings.

Children will have ample opportunity for
fun and learning at the Children's Mini Health Fair being
sponsored by Families Matter, Even Start Parents, Systems of Care
Parent Advocates, MCDAC and Modoc County Health Services. The area
will be set up for children in the weight room and par ents are
encouraged to join them.

Sixth graders will have the opportunity
to have the State required Hepatitis B immu nizations free of
charge and a limited amount of pneumonia vaccine is available for
adults.

This year, spinal scans and dental
screenings have been added. Free finger stick blood tests will
check glucose and ane mia. Weight and blood pressure checks will
be available free.

The only charge will be for those who
choose a Blood Screening test available for $10, a deal that can't
be beaten when com pared to the regular cost of the test. The re
quirement is to fast from midnight until af ter the blood test is
taken. Only black coffee or water should be consumed prior to the
test. The test checks blood sugar levels and cholesterol
count.

To break the fast, stop by 1999 Modoc
High's Project Graduation Pancake Break fast in Oxley Hall and
help yourself and Pro ject Grad at the same time. They will be
serv ing from 8 a.m. until the food supply runs out.

"Tons of drawings, such as one for a
free mammogram, will be taking place," offers Crosby. Booths will
be decorated and three prizes given for best design, originality
of decoration, based on this year's theme.

Learn more about medical insurance ben
efits available through the new Healthy Fam ilies program and
MediCal. Pick up a free toothbrush and dental floss and plan to
have fun and learn about health and nutrition.

"A lot of volunteers will be helping
with the event and have given up their time this Sat urday to make
this a special event," said Crosby. "Modoc Indian Health Project
is kindly providing breakfast for each volun teer this year. We're
hoping to see a big turnout this year."

Artist takes own
life

Noted local artist Margot Ann "Sissy"
Freeman died at her own hands March 11 near her Lake City
home.

According to the Modoc County Sheriff's
Office, Freeman, age 49, had been very depressed and her body was
found on a hillside not far from her home.

In addition to her artwork, she was also
a seasonal back-country ranger for the Modoc National Forest's
Warner Mountain Ranger District.

She had just recently dis played her
artwork, mostly sculpture, at the Art Center in Alturas. Skip
Arnew, a good friend of Freeman's, said until recently she had a
cer tain flair for life, that burned as brightly as her plasma
cutter.

She used the plasma cutter to cut much
of her metal art work. Her sculptures were displayed locally and
in gal leries as far away as the Bay Area.

During her life, she en joyed working
with children, teaching various art classes and sharing her love
of na ture with the students in the Surprise Valley
Schools.

She had been experiencing depression
during the last few months, said Arnew. He and friend Gordon Ash
became concerned on March 11 when she did not answer repeated
phone calls.

"The light of Sissy's life burned as
brightly as her plasma cutter," said Arnew. "Surprise Valley and
all of Modoc County are now de prived of her talents. It's a
shame, she had so much to of fer. Her life's light just burned out
too soon."

Freeman is survived by her parents,
Harry and Margaret Freeman of Mill Valley, Ca., sons Justin Haet
and Ian Haet of Florida, and a brother James Freeman of
Michigan.

Following cremation, her remains were
inurned at St. John's Episcopal Church Memorial Gardens in Ross,
Ca.

April, 1999

Record news summaries for
April 1, 1999

City gets started on
major street repairs

Modoc profile, a look
at the county

New Director of Nurses
has positive outlook, plans

Tobacco Education
Coalition has new name

Rap Artist performs at
Niles Theater

The
forecast: Partly cloudy skies
today with clearing tonight. It looks mostly sunny on Friday with
temperatures warming up into the 50s. Partly cloudy this weekend
with a chance of showers.

Major city street repair
project gets underway

The Alturas City Council this week
approved a bid pack age that starts a major street project for
this coming sum mer, plus another project that will take care of
Carlos and Warner streets in the summer of 2,000.

According to Public Works Director Stacy
Chase, the en gineering for this summer's FEMA repair project is
under way and actual street construction should begin around
June.

Chase said the project will involve
about 58 blocks, cover ing some 3.5 to four miles of the city's
worst streets. The FEMA project covers what were designated as
storm-dam aged streets and carries a FEMA approved price tag of
about $2.1 million.

"This summer's project should take care
of the city's worst streets, with the exception of a couple areas
not ap proved for repair by FEMA," said Chase. "It should put the
city's streets in pretty good shape."

Chase said the project this time around
will be done cor rectly. Each street will be excavated, a new
base, strong fab ric and a solid covering of asphalt will be put
down. In addi tion, some areas of the recent FEMA project, East
Street for example, will also be repaired.

A few of the streets covered under this
summer's project are: Maple between 10th and 12th; East A and East
D; Northeast B Street; and 2nd Street between Rine and
Howard.

There are 12 blocks set for
reconstruction in the northwest part of town, nine blocks in the
main part of town, 17 blocks on the eastside, 18 blocks on the
northside and several other areas.

"There will be work going on all over
the city," said Chase. "I don't expect the traffic conditions to
be any worse than they were with the last FEMA project. But, there
will be a lot of activity going on this summer."

Engineering work will start on the
Carlos and Warner Street project this summer. The construction of
that street is scheduled for the summer of 2,000 at a cost of
about $1.7 mil lion.

Modoc's profile, a look at
the county

The school population is facing a
downturn of about 100 students in the Modoc Joint Unified School
District and other schools in the area are having the same
problem.

In some circles, there is a fear that
Modoc County's popu lation may have actually de clined this past
year. The Center for Economic Development, out of Chico State
issued an Economic and Demographic Profile for 1999 that has some
interesting as sertions and numbers.

For instance, the profile shows that the
city of Alturas lost 20 residents from 1997 to 1998, from 3,160 to
3,140. By con trast, the county as a whole maintained its
population of 10,150 both years. The county has increased in
population from 9,600 in 1990 to 10,150 in 1998. The city of
Alturas, meanwhile, has gone from a high of 3,270 in 1993 to
3,140.

According to Chico State, the county is
projected to in crease in population to about 13,500 by the year
2020.

It's interesting to note that in 1995,
86 people left Modoc, while in 1997, 160 came in. In real terms,
during 1995 and 1996 the county lost 100 people, but in 1997 it
had a net gain of 150. That year the county had 110 births and 120
deaths.

When it comes to age breakdowns of the
population the age group in the 50 and above category makes up
3,239 of the popu lation. By contrast, the age group from age 10
to 19 makes up 1,345. The age 20 to 29 group has 950 people and
the age 30 through age 49 group has 2,681.

When considering those over retirement
age, there are 2,632 people in that group. What's good about that,
ac cording to the report is that older people tend to do well
here. There are 125 people age 85 and over, 200 between the ages
of 80 and 84, 313 between age 75-79, 393 between the ages of 70
and 74 and 652 between the ages of 65 and 69.

When it comes to the level of education
achieved by Modoc residents over 18, there are 1,104 with a
college de grees, 1,507 with some college and 2,402 with a high
school diploma. There are also 1,420 without a high school diploma
and an other 575 with less than a ninth grade education.

It's also interesting to note that
Modoc's labor force has dropped from a 1991 high of 4,480 to a
1997 low of 3,990. The number of people employed fell from 1991's
4,000 to 1997's 3,540.

The largest number of jobs is found in
technical, sales and administrative support services, then
managerial and professional specialties, followed by services,
farming and forestry.

A telling picture of the eco nomic
condition of the county is found in the per capita per sonal
income change over the years 1994 to 1996. During that period, the
per capita income went down from $15,742 to $14,743. Per captia
income is the total personal income di vided by total
population.

The county's median fam ily income, that
point at which half of all families are above and half are below,
is at $27,407. The state's median family income is $40,559. The
median household income in Modoc is $22,029, lower than the
state's $35,798.

Services remains the area of industry
with the greatest percent of employment, with retail trade,
second, and manu facturing, third. In agriculture, employment has
dropped from 1,242 in 1983 to 871 in 1996. In the construc tion
industry, employment went from 114 in 1977 to 139 in 1996. The
manu facturing in dustry fell off from 1977's 234 to 57 in 1996.
The trade indus tries moved from 600 employ ees in 1977 to 816 in
1996. The service industry employment has gone from 1977's 611
jobs, to 794 in 1996. The best year for that industry was 1987
with 920 jobs.

Government employment in Modoc County
went from 1977's 887 jobs to 1996's 1,345. That's down from 1995's
total of 1,361.

The latest figures reported in the
profile, show food stamp payments to county residents went from a
1977 total of $158,000 to a 1996 total of $1,035,000. Those
numbers are ex pected to drop as welfare re form kicks in over the
next two to three years.

Payment of Aid to Families and Dependent
Children (welfare) went from $525,000 in 1977 to $2,664,000 in
1996, but those numbers and cases are also expected to drop with
wel fare reform.

The problem facing Modoc is creating new
jobs to place those welfare and other work ers into, once they run
out of their benefits. There are sev eral projects in the works,
how ever none have come to fruition at this point.

New MMC Director of Nurses
sees MMC moving in a positive direction

Maureen Nicholson is no stranger to
Modoc County or Modoc Medical Center. She has come full circle
from being born at the Alturas facility to returning as the new
Direc tor of Nurses.

For 20 years, Nicholson was employed at
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, Reno, Nev. For eight of those
years, she worked as a regis tered nurse specializing in
Orthopedics and acute medi cal rehabilitation nursing. The
following 12 years were spent in management and as Manager of
Rehabilita tion Services which included the Inpatient Acute
Medical Rehabilitation Program, In Patient and Out Patient Ser
vices for Physical, Occupa tional and Communication Therapy, as
well as Director of Nursing of the hospital-based Skilled Nursing
De partment.

Little did she dream 30 years ago when
she left Al turas, that one day she would return to lend her
expertise in a variety of disciplines to her hometown.

Nicholson made the choice to go into
nursing, only after studying interior design and sociology, which
gave her the opportunity to work with children. She was born in
Alturas to Harvey Milligan, a Modoc High teacher and Fay Milligan
Smith, MHS Librarian and graduated from Modoc Union High School.
She also graduated from Reno Busi ness College, attended Uni
versity of Nevada, Reno and Truckee Meadows Commu nity College and
received an Associate of Science Nurs ing Degree. She received her
Bachelor of Science Degree from Chapman University, Orange, Calif.
She holds national certification as a Certified Rehabilitation
Registered Nurse.

A year and a half ago, she and husband
Walt who re tired from Caterpillar Corp., decided to take a year
off to enjoy traveling, their chil dren, grandchildren and life in
general.

"We had a highly intense lifestyle with
both our jobs, before we made the move to Jess Valley," said
Nichol son. "We are loving it here." The Nicholsons are enjoy ing
remodeling their cabin to a home, cross country ski ing and
getting a start on their newest venture called "Pine Shadows
Handcrafted Gifts of Distinction." Walt creates intricately
detailed birdhouses of historic sites within the county and rare
wood boxes of all shapes and sizes. Maureen does the painting on
the bird houses. The two are gearing for big shows in July, August
in Graeagle and Genoa in the fall.

But, after keeping an eye on Modoc
Medical Center for the past year, and knowing how vital the
hospital is to the community, Nicholson was ready to jump back
into the hospital scene and applied for the Director of Nurses po
sition, which she was offered in November.

"I wear many hats here," she said with a
smile of her new post. " I also believe in a team approach to
health care and will further develop the whole hospital as a team.
We need to look at what our needs are, what the commu nity needs
and be flexible and see where we can go from here. We need to see
where our Dental, Medical, Acute ER and Nursing fit in."

Nicholson is responsible for Program
Development, staff education, meeting regulatory requirements for
the clinic and acute care, maintaining current li censes and
ensuring their compliance, operations of nursing patient care
areas and hiring of staff. She has already instituted several
changes, including the hir ing of Linda Wellemeyer as the new
Clinic Manager as of March 29; and three RNs and one LVN. She is
ad dressing the issue of staff education by bringing in qualified
instructors for in service trainings.

The staff recently under went inservice
regarding TPA an emergency Throm boletic medication for people
with heart attacks. They re ceived updated training in Cardiac
assessment, stabi lization and transport; res piratory care at the
SNF and acute training inservice.

"Education for obstetrics will be a
focus in June," said Nicholson, "And we have a brand new birthing
bed."

Developing strong restorative and
rehabilita tion services at the Skilled Nursing Facility, is a
need Nicholson sees within her community which can be
provided.

"Our affiliation with USC [Univerity of
Southern Cali fornia] is exciting and will help us tremendously,
if it can happen," shared Nichol son. "With USC's help we applied
for those two grants, which we received. One is already being put
to use in purchasing the new billing system, which is expected to
be in place sometime in early Fall. They would also be willing to
help us update our hospital equipment. Ra diology would also be a
piece of that."

"We're also looking at do ing some work
at the SNF - developing the yard area with raised flower beds, so
residents can get out and do some gardening. Our focus will be to
improve the envi ronment, and the yard area will be one of our
first pro jects as the weather allows."

Nicholson was pleased with outcome of
the Bureau of Licensure's survey in De cember of 1998. "We did
very well," she stated.

After returning from a Rural Hospital
conference in Yosemite, Nicholson said it only reinforced what her
community's needs are and to be flexible.

"I'm really happy with the physicians in
the area and the ones who cover the clinic. We have good staff and
they are very flexible. It's just so important to have the hospi
tal. I really feel that this community needs it medical center."

Tobacco Coalition changes
name

The Modoc County To bacco Education
Program has created a new acronym for their Coalition.

The Coalition's new name is "HEAT -
Health Education About Tobacco Coalition of Modoc County." The
HEAT Coalition spon sors Tobacco-Free Commu nity Events, and
Health Ed ucation Programs to cre atively teach the youth and
residents of Modoc County about the hazards of tobacco use. They
also look at com munity concerns regarding tobacco use in
workplaces, or tobacco access/use with re gard to the youth of
Modoc County, or other concerns regarding the laws pertain ing to
tobacco. The Coalition would also like to receive community input
as to how they would like to see To bacco Settlement funds spent
that are coming to this county.

The new fiscal year for the Tobacco
Education Pro gram begins July 1, 1999, at which time funding will
be available for Mini-Grants (educational programs), and
Sponsorships (Tobacco-Free Events). Mini-Grant activi ties are
defined as activities that focus on three priority areas: Reducing
Environ mental Tobacco Smoke, Re ducing Youth Access to To bacco,
and Countering Pro-Tobacco Influences. Spon sorships consist of
support ing sporting, cultural, or ed ucational events in order to
counter tobacco promoting at the event, or sponsoring ex isting
cultural/community events as tobacco-free. There are various
requirements for each of these programs, but if your organization
is interested in either program, you can call Karen or Bill at
233-6311 for further informa tion.

Rap artist Haida, Autumn
Hawk in concert Friday

HAIDA, the first Native American female
hip/hop and rap artist will return to Alturas to deliver a
positive, motivat ing mes sage in Al turas on Friday, April
2.

She will perform with a young East Coast
artist, Au tumn Hawk, at the Niles Theater in Alturas. The concert
is open to the public and begins at 4:30 p.m., fol lowed by an
autograph ses sion.

Haida was well received in her first
concert in 1998 in Alturas with LiteFoot. She writes her own
lyrics

This year's event is brought to the
community by Modoc In dian Health Pro ject, Cedarville Rancheria,
and Re sources for Indian Stu dent Education. RISE cele brates a
four-year an niver sary on April 2, 1999 with the concert. Compli
mentary tickets are provided to all members of RISE. Clients of
Modoc Indian Health Project and Cedarville Rancheria should obtain
tickets at those office locations.

All remaining concert tickets will be
sold at $5 each or three for $10, and may be purchased at RISE.
More in forma tion may be obtained at RISE, Mondays through
Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at (530) 233-2226.

Record news
summaries for April 8, 1999

Treasurer will use
advisor for investments

2nd court rejects
lawsuit on lease land farming

Pair of homes boost
building

I'SOTs credit Canby
Fire Department for response

Spring lift available
at Art Center

Obituaries

Norris Gerig

Joe Oates,
Sr.

The
forecast: Look for a chance of
evening showers tonight and partly cloudy with highs near 40
Friday. Rain spreads over the entire area and it could very well
snow Friday night through Sunday. It's going to stay cool.

Now aren't you glad you read
this?

County trea surer to invest
funds through ad visor

Modoc County Treasurer Cheryl Knoch
received the go ahead from the Board of Supervisors Tuesday to use
an in vestment advisor concern ing the investment of county
funds.

The county agreed to a contract with
Pillar Point Capital Management, an in vestment firm that
presented the board a briefing two weeks ago. The funding to cover
the advisor's fees, stressed Knoch, will come from the interest
earned on county funds he manages.

Knoch will go through the county's
Investment Advisory Committee to set up policy concerning the
actual in vestment strategies and Pillar Point will have to in
vest according to the county's guidelines.

According to Knoch, she is looking at
investing some $6.5 million through the Pillar Point agreement.
She said the 10-year record of its managers are impressive and she
believes the county will realize a bigger return on the investment
than now, even after paying the fees to Pillar Point.

"I have called both Plumas and Sierra
Counties (who use Pillar Point) and they have told me the results
are excel lent," said Knoch. "My inter est is to get more return
on our investment. I believe this is the best way for us to
go."

While the county staff and Knoch could
invest the fund ing, since Knoch is the "Investment Authority" for
the county, she chooses to hire the outside advisor.

"I don't believe I have the time nor
staff to do the job right and feel the investment advisor is our
best option," said Knoch.

Supervisor Joe Colt said he felt the
county should be "more aggressive" in its investment strategies
and welcomes the leadership of the treasurer. All supervisors felt
the same, wanting an aggressive, but well-managed, fairly safe in
vestment policy.

The board also agreed to a Free Dump day
throughout the county, but will have drop at sites in four
locations: Lookout, Newell, Alturas and Lake City. No date has
been set for the free day, but it will be in the near
future.

According to Rick Hironymous, Public
Works, the free dump day is an effort to help county residents
clean up around homes and property to make things look better. The
free dump day will in clude old cars (which must have title),
white goods (appliances and so on with motors or freon re moved),
yard clippings and waste, metal and so on. The free day will not
include normal household waste.

Dates and times for each of the free
dump days will be printed in the Modoc Record as well as a listing
of what items are acceptable for dis posing of on that day. The
county is hoping to do the free day on Saturdays to help make sure
people participate.

The Board also approved a new
blended-account called the System of Care Children's Trust Fund,
that will be used to help children in need of a variety of
services throughout the county.

Supervisors approved a re quest from
Public Health Manager Phil Smith to set up and lease a building
for a day treatment facility in Alturas. Smith said the county
needs for a place where some of the Health Department's clients
can go during the day.

He said day treatment ser vices for
chronically men tally ill patients, chronic substance abuse
patients and for pa tients with a combina tion of mental and
substance abuse problems.

A day treatment facility, said Smith,
would help keep them connect to the outside world and give them
some thing to do. Typically, said Smith, the facility would be a
place for those people to come and meet with other people, talk,
do art projects or other constructive things. Smith said the day
treatment facility is a project that many people in the county
would find bene ficial and that he feels is needed.

Auditor Judi Stevens in formed the board
that Southern Pacific property tax funds impounded by the county
during a lawsuit in the early 90's have been placed back into
proper accounts. She said she placed $13,724 into the county's
one-time-money line item in the general fund and distributed the
remainder of those impounded funds to the districts and agencies
who shared in their use.

The board also rescinded an ordinance
that had created eight smoking areas for em ployees., District
Attorney Tom Buckwalter said the county had received a com plaint
that there was not a "no-smoking" lounge to offset the smoking
areas. He said the county's ordinance was con trary to state labor
code.

While some smoking members of the board
ex pressed some anger at having to obey state law, others said the
thought the whole county was "no-smoking" anyway and were
surprised there were designated smoking areas. In any case, there
will be no "smoking" areas in any county building in the future.

2nd Court rejects lease
land lawsuit

For a second time in three months, a
federal court has rejected a lawsuit brought by environmental
groups op posed to farming on the fed er ally owned "lease lands"
in the Klamath Project.

The Oregon Natural Re sources Council
(ONRC) and Northwest Coalition for Al ternatives to Pesticides
filed the original suit in 1994. Fo cusing on the use of
pesticides, the suit claimed that water fowl and other wildlife
were killed and in jured in viola tion of various federal laws. On
March 31 District Judge Michael Ho-gan upheld the recom mendation
by Federal Mag istrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin that the lawsuit be
dis missed. Last December a fed eral judge in Sacramento threw out
a separate suit brought by ONRC and other environmental groups
that challenged lease land farm ing on various arbitrary is
sues.

"We are pleased to get this lawsuit out
of the way," said Earl Danosky, Tulelake Ir ri gation District
Manager. The anti-agriculture rhe-toric and stereotypes are not
productive and have now been twice thrown out by the courts. En
vironmentally se-nsitive agricultural prac tices have always been
part of the lease land program. "It's time to move on." Danosky
said that lease land growers are only al lowed to use about 10% of
le gal pesticides available to private landowners in Cali fornia
and California has the strictest pesticide regula tions in the
world. "Only if the rea son is to just elimi nate the lease land
farming would the argument be used that there is some adverse ef
fect from such rigid restric tions."

The lease lands consist of approximately
22,000 acres within Tulelake Irrigation and Klamath Drainage Dis
tricts. The land was in cluded in the area ceded to the federal
government in 1905 for the purpose of recla mation and irrigation.
Sub sequently, the lease lands were incorporated in the Tulelake
and Lower Kla math national Wildlife Refuges, with the stipulation
to always maintain the orig i nal intent for agricultural
production. Lease moneys paid by growers to U.S. Bu reau of
Reclamation for land parcels can be as much as two million
dollars. Klamath, Siskiyou and Modoc counties directly re ceive
25% of the net revenue in lieu of taxes each year. In addition,
Tulelake Irriga tion District receives a smaller
percentage.

At the time this lawsuit was initiated
the environ mental groups sued the fed eral gov ernment over the
use of pesti cides. The suit was with drawn based on the gov ern
ment's plan to prepare an in tegrated pest management plan (IPM)
for lease land farming on the refuges. Later the plaintiffs
attempted on several occasions to re vive the case, but this most
recent or der results in final dis missal. Tulelake Irriga tion
District, Klamath Drainage District, Klamath Water Users
Association, Siskiyou and Modoc coun ties and sev eral individual
far-mers in tervened in the lawsuit.

Pair of homes perks up
building

The construction of two new homes, one
near Cedarville and the other on County Road 71 south of Alturas,
perked up the Modoc County Building totals for March.

The County Building Department issued 14
permits worth an estimated $476,725 for March of 1999. The county
collected $3,240 in fees. A large addition to a church and
installation of a mobile home also increased the values
significantly. In February, the county issued 12 permits valued at
$94,980 and in March, 1998, the county issued 12 permits valued at
$101,020.

The City of Alturas issued 13 building
permits in March with an estimated value of $20,878. New or roof
replacements made up several of the city permits.

In February, the city issued eight
permits valued at $13,760 and in March, 1998, it issued seven
permits valued at $34,353. The city collected $473.13 in permit
fees.

I'SOT's credit Canby FD
with quick response

When Andrew Janos was little, his family
had fire drills.

"They taught us what to do, and to never
panic," 14-year-old Janos explained, as he stood in the I'SOT Com
munity Rhema House kit-chen in Canby, damaged by a fire
Tuesday.

While helping broil steaks for a special
dinner, Janos, son of Stephen and Marie Janos of Canby, sud denly
real ized that flames where climbing up from un der the meat and
quickly reaching into a vented area leading into the roof.

"I didn't even have to think," he
explained. "I knew immediately I had to get the fire extinguisher.
I knew where it was, and it was the first thing that came to my
mind."

Chris Ramey, also help ing with the
dinner, was watch ing Janos broil the steaks.

"I saw the flames start moving into the
vents, and went to tell the older adults," he recalled. "My aunt
went to call 911, and I went outside to bring other extinguish
ers."

"As I looked up, I saw that the roof was
on fire, and started passing the extin guishers to Uncle Shannon,
who had gotten up on the roof."

Ramey explained that a few weeks ago,
when he was in the Community Director's office, he had noticed
charts diagramming the placement of all fire extinguishers, and
had memorized the loca tions."

"The first response people got here
really quick," said Janos, speaking of the Canby Volunteer Fire
Department.

Upon arrival, the firemen stretched
hoses up on the roof, and began to attack flames belching out
smoke through multiple vents of the large building.

"When the firemen ar rived," commented
Stephen Janos, Andrew's father, "I told them that we had knocked
the fire down here in the kitchen, but that it had gotten into the
roof. "

"They went up there and chopped a hole
to get to it," he added. "They came quickly. They responded. They
did n't leave until they knew it was safe," he continued.

Fire Chief Ron Sherer to gether with
fireman Charlie Sherer, were heard stating that "We're not going
to leave here until we abso lutely know that it's com pletely
safe, that everything is cold!"

"You know, some of our your ladies are
volunteer firemen," explained Marie Tolbert, one of the I'SOT
Community Directors.

"They took over running the pumps on the
trucks," said Tolbert.

Ron complimented the girls and said,
"They did just great."

"Five of the I'SOT school kids were
working in the kitchen when the fire sta-rted," Tolbert continued.
"They stayed cool, followed instructions, and put the source of
the fire out."

"Their grandmother was very, very proud
of them," she added.

The fire would have been a lot worse,
according to many of the I'SOT members, if the firemen hadn't
moved so quickly to respond.

"I heard the fire siren," explained
Janos, and they were in the building about three minutes
later."

"Now what's left is the cleanup," he
continued.

In the blackened kitchen were the
remains of the "ex tra special" steak dinner be ing prepared for
the mem bers and guests. The steaks, burned and covered with light
gray fire suppressant expelled by the fire extin guishers, were
certainly charbroiled - but not as envi sioned by the evening's
cooks.

Need a Spring lift? Art
Center has it on display

Step into a world of peaceful fountains
and the cheerful colors of Spring in a variety of forms at the Art
Center dur ing the new April show.

The Art Center is a non-profit gallery
that offers a wide variety of art and jewelry as gifts and the
large back room area is also used as a setting for community
classes.

Each month, a new art show displays the
varied works of guest and local artists. The public is always
welcome to stop by Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5
p.m.

At this time, with volunteers are sought
to help keep the center's doors open. The Art Center is a
non-profit commu nity organization. Annual membership dues are $12
a year. If interested in volunteering some time or becoming a
member, please stop by Art Center at 317 South Main Street,
Alturas or call 233-2574.

Obituary--

Norris Duval
Gerig

Funeral services will be held at a later
date for Norris Duval Gerig, 83, of Bieber who died March 28, 1999
at Mayer's Memorial Hospital in Fall River Mills.

Mr. Gerig was born August 25, 1916 in
Bieber and was a respected and well known rancher in the Big
Valley area his entire life. He was married to Dorothy Mae
Brewster November 7, 1935 in Reno. He was also a graduate of
Bieber High School.

Mr. Gerig served several years as an
elementary and high school trustee at Bieber and was an original
member of the Big Valley Joint Unified School District Board of
Trustees. He was also a member of the California Cattlemen
Association and the Farm Bureau.

His remains were cremated and a funeral
service is pending. The family asks that donations be made to the
charity of choice.

Joe Neal Oates,
Sr.

Funeral services for Joe Neal Oates,
Sr., of Likely, were held April 7, 1999 at the Likely Community
Church with burial in the Likely Cemetery.

Mr. Oates died followed a bout with
cancer on April 3, in Alturas. He was born March 14, 1922 in
Holland, Missouri, and moved to Modoc County 20 years ago.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps
during World War II and was a part the occupation of China. He was
discharged in March, 1946. He was also a member of the Free Masons
in Steele, Mo.

Mr. Oates was a self-employed
trucker/broker in Steel, Missouri and after moving to Modoc, he
worked several years for Lyneta Ranches and drove a hay truck for
his son, Joe Oates, Jr. He also drove tankers part time for Ed
Staub and Sons Petroleum, Inc.

He loved fishing and spending time on
the Mississippi River. In Modoc, he enjoyed fishing with companion
Betty Driscoll at all the fishing holes. He also enjoyed tinkering
with cars and inventing things that would make his life eas ier.
He also enjoyed watching his grandsons', Skyler and Dustin, Little
League games.

The family asks that donations be made
to Modoc County Little League or to the American Cancer Society.
Pastor Rod Bodmer officiated at the service.

Record news
for April 15, 1999

Snow pack in mountains
well above normal

PacifiCorp anticipates
sales of California properties to Nor-Cal

Judge dismisses Lakey
suit against City

City studies
possibility of owning own inmate facility

Modoc gas price hike
higher than state's

Ghost town, my b . . .
Rick Holloway's column

PacifiCorp to sell
California service area to NOR-CAL Electric Authority

PacifiCorp and Nor-Cal Electric Au
thority an nounced they have signed a let ter of intent to sele
area in California to Nor-Cal for $178 million, pre-tax.

The price is subject to ad justments for
changes in as sets and liabilities assumed by the buyer.

The Nor-Cal Electric Authority is a
joint powers authority created in Novem ber 1998 by the city of
Yreka and Del Norte County in California.

Operating as Pacific Power, PacifiCorp
serves Del Norte, Siskiyou and portions of Modoc and Sha-sta
counties in northern Cali fornia. PacifiCorp has 65 employees in
California and serves about 41,000 cus tomers which account for ap
proximately 0.3 percent of the state's total electric
sales.

"Nor-Cal's offer is good for our cus
tomers, employees and shareholders," said Keith McKennon, Pacifi
Corp's chairman and chief executive officer. "Nor-Cal is committed
to continuing to provide the reliable service at a competi tive
price that Pacific Power customers have received over the
years."

The non-binding agree ment between the
two com panies is just the first step in selling PacifiCorp's Cali
fornia service area. "We see the terms of the agreement as a
win-win for PacifiCorp and the cus tomers and communities
throughout the service area," said Clyde Eller, Nor-Cal Electric
Au thority chairman. "The ag-reement allows us to begin the
process that will hope fully lead to a binding agreement once both
sides have completed their due-diligence process."

The parties expect the due diligence pro
cess to take several months. Once com plete, both companies will
sign a binding agreement to move forward with the sale.

As part of the letter of in tent,
Nor-Cal has stated that it will offer positions to all PacifiCorp
employees in the California service area and will assume all
obliga tions under current union con tracts. Wages and benefit
packages will be com parable to those currently received and
employees will be cred ited for their length of ser vice with
PacifiCorp prior to the sale.

The sale must be approved by the Fed
eral Energy Regu latory Commission and the California Public
Utility Commission. PacifiCorp anticipates completion of the sale
early in the year 2000.

PacifiCorp announced it will sell its
California ser vice area last July to better focus on states where
it had a larger cus tomer base and more significant invest ment in
assets. This sale was fully antici pated by ScottishPower during
its merger negotiations with PacifiCorp.

The public is invited to attend two meet
ings to dis cuss the letter of intent signed today by PacifiCorp
to sell its electric ser vice area in California to the Nor-Cal
Electric Authority.

A press conference will be held Mon day,
April 12 at 4 p.m., at the Miner's Inn Convention Center, 122 East
Miner St., in Yreka. A Town Hall meeting will be held Tuesday,
April 13 at 7 p.m. at the Crescent Fire Protection District
Meeting Room, 255 W. Washington Blvd., in Crescent City. Those
with questions or com-ments about the proposed sale are encouraged
to at tend.

Snow pack well above
normal

Late winter and early spring storms have
managed to push the snowpack and water levels to well above normal
ranges as of the first of April.

The U.S. Forest Service and Soil
Conservation Service took the snow surveys the first part of
April, as usual, follow ing their February survey. What they found
was a lot of snow. For instance, Cedar Pass has 124 percent of
average snow depth and Blue Lake is 116 percent above normal. Mt.
Bidwell is 145 percent deeper at 93 inches of snow.

As of this week, Cedar Pass, at 7,100
feet, has 56 inches of snow, containing 22.8 inches of moisture.
In February, the area had 51 inches of snow with 15.2 inches of
water. The 10-year average for the survey spot is 39.6 inches of
snow with 15.6 inches of water. At this time in 1998, Cedar Pass
had 44 inches of snow with 19 inches of water.

Blue Lake measured 33 inches of snow
last week with 12.2 inches of water. That's up from February's 31
inches of snow and 8.8 inches of moisture. The 10-year average for
Blue Lake is 24.8 inches of snow containing 10.3 inches of water.
In 1998, the area had 26 inches of April snow and 10.4 inches of
water.

Mt. Bidwell, at 7,200 feet, is packed
with snow this April, with 93 inches and 32.8 inches of water. The
area received 29 inches of more snow since the February survey. In
February, it showed 64 inches of snow containing 20.8 inches of
water. The 10-year average for the areas is 59.4 inches of snow
containing 23.76 of water.

At the Barber Creek site south of
Eagleville at 6,500 feet, there is 33 inches of snow compared to
39 inches in February. The April snow pack contains 12 inches of
snow. The 10-year average for that spot is 28.7 inches of snow
with 10.7 inches of water. Last year there was 36 inches of snow
in that area containing 14.2 inches of moisture.

The 49 Mountain site had 13 inches of
snow in April, down from 21 inches in February. There was 4.6
inches of moisture in the April survey. The 10-year average for 49
Mountain is 6.3 inches of snow and 1.87 inches of water. Last year
the area had 13 inches of snow containing four inches of
water.

Hays Canyon showed no snow this year,
losing all of its 13 inches in February. The 10-year average for
the spot is 6.3 inches of snow and .78 inches of water. In 1998,
the area had six inches of snow and 1.8 inches of water.

While the amount of snowpack is good
news for water watchers, it also is a concern of flood watchers.
With the current warm in trend in the area, the snow is starting
to melt quickly. There are no problems with area creeks and
rivers, yet, but there is a substantially dangerous amount of
water in the mountains.

Judge dismisses Lakey case
against City

A federal judge in U.S. District Court
has dismissed the lawsuit filed by former opera tors of the
Alturas Bowling Alley against the City of Alturas.

Judge D. Garcia ruled Monday that the
lawsuit filed in January by Norm and Mary Lakey was "without
merit" and dismissed it in its entirety, with prejudice.

According to attorney Dave McEnroth, who
represented the city, the action, and the determination of "with
prejudice" removes the city from further federal action. The
Lakey's had sued the city, saying action by the city, police
department and fire depart ment violated their civil rights and
eventu ally led the loss of business in the bowling al ley and its
eventual closure.

The suit against Wayne Bethel, of
Alturas remains in federal court and will be heard at a later
date. Bethel is also accused of violat ing the Lakey's civil right
stemming from an incident in January, 1998 when he fired his
weapon from the Fire Department into the back of the bowling
alley, which was directly across the street. No one was hurt in
the inci dent. Bethel pled guilt to two misdemeanors in the
incident.

City council looks into
operating own prison

Members of the Alturas City Council and
city officials traveled to the City of Folsom Monday to discuss
with Folsom officials their city-op erated correctional
facility.

Alturas Mayor Dick Steyer said the trip
was very valu able and city officials ob tained excellent
information. Whether there is a possibility of the city owning its
own cor rectional facility is un known, said Steyer.

According to Steyer, the city of Folsom
started its fa cility as a Regional Training Center and since then
it has turned into a Community Correctional facility, owned by the
city of Folsom under contract to the state of California.

Steyer said Folsom actu ally has a
profit of about $375,000 annually from the prison facility. Those
funds go directly into that city's general fund. Folsom initially
hired a retired California Department of Corrections warden to
start and run the facility. The staff is made up of 70
correctional offi cers, who are city employees. The facility
accepts only level one inmates and has space for about 400
inmates. It was built on about six-and-a-half acres.

"In my opinion, this type of facility
would be a real benefit to Alturas," said Steyer. "My concern is I
don't think the state may need any more of them. It would also
take some seed money for us to start this project. But, as far as
eco nomic development, it is a good project."

Steyer said he'll propose the city send
a letter to the California Department of Corrections asking that
it con sider an Alturas facility in future requests for propos
als.

The Folsom facility also runs a
recycling center and while that part of the project does not make
a huge profit, it is operating for the benefit of the city.
Inmates at the facil ity also do much of the park and city
maintenance pro jects for Folsom.

Currently, a private prison corporation,
Corrections Corporation of America, owns most of the former
Alturas Mill site west of the airport and the Railroad Museum. CCA
initially suggested plac ing a 1,000 to 2,000 bed private prison
on the site. That project has not come to fruition, but accord ing
to Steyer, is also not dead, at least from the devel oper's point
of view. Other private prison corporations may be in terested in
the site. There is, he stressed, no pro ject in the works at this
time.

If the City of Alturas chooses to push
forward on establish ing a prison owned by the city, it will be a
long road from be ginning to end. But, said Steyer, the financial
gains to the city are very real.

Opponents of any prison project showed
up at Tuesday night's council meeting to voice their opposition.
The coun cil listened to their con cerns under open forum, but did
not take any action since the prison was not on the agenda.

Modoc gas price hike higher
than state's

In what probably is no surprise to local
res idents, the recent jump in gas prices locally puts Modoc
prices higher than the average in crease across the state or in
Oregon.

The average price for gas in Alturas is
$1.799 per gallon, with the average price for regular unleaded
across the state hitting $1.639. The price for regular unleaded in
Alturas is $1.699, unleaded plus is $1.799 and premium $1.899.
According to the Lundberg Survey of gas stations throughout the
nation the average price is $1.228 per gallon.

Prices at the Pacific Price card lock
sta tion have in creased from $1.28 per gallon March 23 to $1.54
per gallon as of April 1. Regular retail prices at the pump have
gone up in Alturas from $1.19 as of about March 8 to $1.69 now, an
in crease of .50 cents per gal lon. The average increase in
California was 43.11 cents.

Oregon prices have jumped less, with the
Herald and News reporting unleaded regu lar gas prices in Klamath
Falls at $1.449 to $1.499.

While gas prices may be higher here than
other parts of California, local residents have reported that
prices in the Redding area are comparable to Modoc's.

The price increase is blamed upon a re
duced level of pro duction from OPEC coun tries, seasonal demand
and explo sions at two California refineries.

Industry analysts say they do not expect
any relief in gas prices in the near future.

Ghost town. . .

Comment by Rick
Holloway,

Editor/Publisher

Between the buzzards circling over the
courthouse and Alturas' listing as a ghost town on the Internet,
we could start wondering if we're caught in the Matrix between the
past and the future.

Linda Ochs told me recently that Alturas
was listed on a web site detailing Ghost towns of the West. So we
called it up and sure enough there we were in all our historic
glory. . . dead! The remaining building was the Niles, that's it.
And it wasn't listed as operating. While the present owners may
find the Niles Hotel not as occupied as they'd like it at times,
it certainly isn't a deserted shell of an old hotel. Actually,
it's pretty nice.

Well, when we read the notation of
Alturas as a ghost town (and we believe someone must have
submitted it as a joke) we decided we'd set this guy straight. So
we sent him a note asking how many ghost towns he knows that have
3,600 residents? Well, apparently he knew just one, 'cause he
changed his site to say that Alturas was a ghost town, but 3,600
residents lived there. We were a little bemused. Was that 3,600
ghosts? While there are times that our residents may act like
ghosts and want to disappear, they really aren't. Sometimes that
changes if you have a volunteer project.

So, undaunted, we sent "Ghosttowns"
another note, detailing that we have schools with live students,
government, restaurants, government, businesses, government,
movies, government, and all sorts of other services. This time we
were being serious. The only ones that can call us a ghost town
are us or at least the last person to leave.

We were pleased to receive a note from
the webmaster saying he was sorry about listing us as a ghost
town, but will leave us on the map as a "non-ghost town". We guess
that's a better description, but I'm not real sure what it means,
exactly. Is a non-ghost town on its way to being a real ghost
town, or is it just a real town where ghosts don't live? Or is it
a town where ghosts aren't allowed? Can you exclude ghosts,
legally? Actually, we're certain there is a ghost (seriously) who
resides in the Modoc Record building, and has been here for
decades. Therefore, it really isn't a non-ghost town, right?
Anyway, it is probably a good thing we're no longer listed as a
ghost town.

However, as the web master said, we
probably got a good deal of publicity from the ghost town listing.
I'm wondering what kind of tourist activity we are going to get as
a non-ghost town? We may have to redefine
equal-opportunity.

Those people who came to visit us as a
ghost town were probably a little surprised . . . unless, of
course, they showed up after 9 p.m. on any given week night.
Actually, most teenagers in town probably think it's a ghost town
past about 8 p.m. But it's not.

I can understand why people might think
we're a ghost town -- this week we have an ad suggesting you all
have dinner and get down to dancing with the Undertaker. But
really, he's a fun guy and not out trying to drum up
business.

But let it be known that we're still
alive and kicking, just coming out of a long winter and starting
to burst forward with energy. Heck, the private prison project
should start up again in the near future and that'll get some
people warmed up. Heck, I should have had the anti-prison faction
call this guy, they're certain we're not a ghost town and will go
to even greater lengths to prove the point.

Record news
summaries for April 22, 1999

County agrees to pact
with USC for hospital management

Sheriff: crime rate is
down

County offers free dump
day for spring cleaning

National Forests all
set to burn away

Obituaries:

Alfred Lewis

County agrees to USC pact
for Modoc Medical Center

The Modoc County Board of Supervisors
Tuesday morn ing agreed to a contract with the University of
Southern California Department of Family Medicine for a modified
management of Modoc Medical Center.

The contract was approved unanimously
and enthusias tically following a presentation by the USC Rural
Access Program team report, presented by Kiki Nocella, the
vice-chair for Finance and Administration, USC Department of
family Medicine and CEO, Avalon Municipal Hospital and
Clinic.

One of the initial portions of the
contract was to promote current Chief Financial Officer Teresa
Jacques into the Hospital Administrator's position as of May 1,
when the cur rent contract administrator Jim Knight is scheduled
to leave.

Nocella told the Board one of the
problems with the hospi tal management is the lack of stability in
the administra tor's position over the past few years.

"Such an action will represent the first
time in over 10 years that there is stable leadership in the role
of adminis trator, and will be a breath of fresh air and a vote of
confi dence to the Medical Center staff," said Nocella. "Teresa
has the respect and trust of all the staff. This, coupled with her
knowledge of the Medical Center and all its business lines, makes
her the ideal candidate."

USC is going to provide Ms. Jacques with
expertise and assistance in the management of the facility and she
will become a USC employee.

The contract with USC has a price tag of
$426,000, which cover 18 months. According to Jacques, the
hospital will be able to cover the cost of the contract as
projected in an in crease in the Skilled Nursing Facility to $591,
and a cash increase with better collections of $100,000. She
projects a $190,000 positive cash position with the USC
contract.

The County's Administrative Officer Mike
Maxwell told the Board the USC contract was the "best chance" the
county has had at making the hospital a viable and thriving part
of the community and the recommended approval.

Nocella also commented that the current
hospital staff has "dug itself out" of a financial hole and should
be com mended for that accomplishment. The hospital is actually
predicting it will be in the black for the operational year come
June 30.

"Modoc Medical Center, although
challenged, has a sig nificant opportunity for improvement and
market growth," the proposal states. "Its void in administrative
leadership has resulted in a lack of vision, a disempowered
culture among its staff, a negative image within its community and
misguided efforts to meet the community's health and well ness
needs and expectations. The opportunities that exist to reverse
the perception of the Medical Center amongst both the staff and
community are great . . .the business development opportunities
are significant."

Nocella continually stressed throughout
her presentation that one of the main components and needs of the
hospital and staff is improved training and up-to-date programs.
She said USC is in a unique position to provide that necessary
training, which should improve the overall quality of the
hospital.

In the USC proposal, they point out the
following items to make the hospital a facility that can be
embraced and sup ported by the community:

¥ A rebirth with a new image, based upon
a foundation of quality and service.

¥ Increased access to care and a broader
scope of quality services.

¥ Stable and competent administrative
leadership.

¥ Improved collaboration and partnership
with Medical staff.

¥ Sound financial management.

¥ Improved financial information systems
as well as po lices and procedures.

¥ Staff training and education.

¥ Partnerships with other medical
providers, both locally and regionally.

¥ Creative, "out of the box"
thinking.

¥ Innovative and aggressive business
development.

¥ Target marketing for formalized
programs in areas of excellence.

¥ An empowered staff that knows they
"can do" and will be supported when they try.

¥ Leadership from the Board of
Trustees.

¥ Evolving community support, through
volunteerism and fundraising.

¥ The unfaltering commitment of the
Boards of Trustees and Supervisors to the team undertaking this
turn around. The dynamic may at times be tested by different
situations, but the success of this project is contingent on such
commit ment.

"Although the Medical Center s
confronted with signifi cant challenges, they are not
insurmountable," USC states. "The Medical Center has recently
halted a downward fi nancial spiral while successfully preserving
the communi ty's health care safety net. Now it must focus on
fortifying its infrastructure, expanding its options and growing
its busi ness."

In addition to assisting with the
overall management of the facility, USC is also proposing to add
to the professional staff and overall training of existing
staff.

According to their report, USC
Department of Family Medicine graduates about 25 family physicians
per year and more than half of those residents spend a four-week
rotation in a rural environment.

USC, states the report, can assume the
role of recruiting a full-time faculty member to live in Alturas
and become the Medical Director of the facility.

"This individual, once selected, would
be an employee of USC and thus have all of the benefits and
responsibilities of being full time faculty," stated Nocella.
"Modoc Medical Center could also choose to benefit by accessing
the managed care contracts of the University through this faculty
rela tionship."

Nocella also said the hospital needs to
better market and perform in its obstetrics division, re-look at
the home health programs and mental health programs.

Both USC and Jacques are confident that
once the new business office computer system is in place,
collections will improve dramatically. The new system, said
Jacques, will be able to present easy-to-understand and correct
state ments. The billing department at the hospital has been a
real sore point for years.

Both USC and the Board of Supervisors
understand going into this contract that it is front loaded with
expenses and the actual positive outcome may not materialize for
18 months to two years. However, they also suspect the hospital to
be able to handle the cost of the contract during that period and
make substantial improvements quickly.

Sheriff: Crime rate dipped
in county

The good news is that serious crime
decreased in Modoc County in 1998, while the overall crime rate
remains low.

Modoc County Sheriff Bruce Mix presented
his annual re port to the Board of Supervisors at Tuesday's
meeting, show ing an overview of what his department handled this
past year.

According to Mix, in addition to himself
and Undersheriff Mark Gentry, the sheriff's staff includes eight
patrol deputies, a Deputy Sheriff II, nine jail personnel, two
dispatchers and one Office of Emergency Services Deputy
Director.

The Sheriff said there were 179
felonies, 355 misde meanors, 749 incidents reported in 1998. That
means a seven percent drop in felonies and a 14 percent drop in
mis demeanors. There was a 20 percent increase in incidents. Those
incidents include those things like civil standbys, warrant
arrests, runaways, missing persons, dog bits and other items not
involving a criminal offense.

The area of Alturas, Likely and Canby
accounted for most of the criminal activity with 68 felonies, 161
misde meanors and 425 incidents. It's important to note that the
Sheriff's report does not include all the activity of the Alturas
Police Department.

Following the Alturas area, the area of
Newell had the second most incidents as 285 cases were reported.
Surprise Valley reported 224 cases, the Adin area had 107 and the
Davis Creek, New Pine Creek, Willow Ranch area had 13.

As far as felony cases, Burglary
was the most common with 43 and there were 22 grand thefts.
There were 28 spousal abuse cases, 11 child abuse cases and one
elderly abuse case. There were also four rape cases, five sexual
assaults and four attempted murders.

The felony crime rate for the county has
dipped from 218 in 1990 to 179 in 1998. The high year during that
period was in 1992 when 310 felonies were reported.

In the misdemeanor statistic, there were
549 in 1990 and that dropped to 355 in 1998. In 1991, there were
620 and in 1992, 564 were reported.

As far as all violent crimes, including
rape, murder, rob bery and aggravated assault, the cases have gone
up from 1990's 54 cases to 1998's 164. But 1998's total is down
from 1997's 169 and 1995-96's 189.

For 1998, the average daily jail
population was 36, down from the previous three year's average of
38. The jail served 38,193 meals in 1998, compared to 42,786 in
1997 and 41,278 in 1996. The percentage of first time offenders in
jail increased from 194 to 232, an increase of 17 percent and
repeat offend ers decreased by 13 percent, from 452 to 395. Still,
63 percent of the jail population is repeat business while 37
percent is first time offenders.

Free dump days for yard
cleanup of fered in May

Modoc County and Alturas Disposal are
hosting a free spring clean up day for Modoc County. Actually,
there will be four clean up days at dif ferent sites, but no house
hold trash will be accepted free.

The free dump day is de signed to help
local residents clean up their yards after the long winter, get
rid of some old cars or appliances and other junk. It is not a day
where residents can bring their regular garbage free of
charge.

According to Rick Hironymous, Deputy
Director of Public Works, the follow ing is the free dump
schedule: May 1, the Newell transfer station; May 2, the Lookout
trans fer station; May 8, the Lake City transfer station; and May
9, the Alturas Transfer Station. No other dumps in the county will
be open for the free service. Residents will have to travel to one
of those four sites on the date in dicated.

Hironymous said the county central ized
the dump loca tions to give residents a fair chance to do their
spring cleaning pro jects and get rid of the debris easily and
free.

The transfer stations will accept yard
waste (limbs, leaves and wood) appliances (washers, dryers, refrig
era tors and freez ers) and scrap metal and junk cars at no charge
to all county resi dents. Appliances must have all oil and fluids
removed, in cluding freon, or have the com pressors and or trans
missions removed before they can be accepted. Refrigerator and
freezer doors must be re moved.

Cars must have titles or junk certifi
cates from the Department of Motor Vehicles and have all oil and
anti-freeze removed.

"No household garbage will be accepted
free," said Hironymous. "If you bring household garbage, you will
be charged for it. Please have everything separated to help all of
us speed up things."

For more information please call Alturas
Disposal at 233-2373 or Public Works at 233-6403.

Forest begins prescribed
fire program

Modoc National Forest continues to
reintroduce fire into the Forest's ecosystems through the use of
prescribed burning.

Fire, under prescribed conditions, is
one of the most important tools for restora tion and
sustainability of ecosystem diversity and productivity.

Randy Hall, Zone Fuels and Fire
Ecologist for Warner Mountain and Dev ils Garden Ranger Districts,
announced the Modoc NF is conducting planned burns in several
locations throu-ghout the Forest start ing immediately and con
tin-uing into June as weather permits. Areas involved are located
near Long Bell, Wil low Creek, Tionesta, Wash ington Mountain,
Crowder Flat, Tournquist Spring, Enquist Reservoir and Jos-eph
Creek for a total of ap proximately 4,000 acres.

The purpose of the pre scribed burning
project is to protect investments in plan-ted and thinned tree
stands, reduce wildfire in tensity and size, and im prove wildlife
habitat. Low inten-sity prescribed fire will be used to reduce
small fuels which include pine needles, woody debris and
vegetation less than six feet tall.

Modoc NF fire manage ment is coordinated
with the National Park Service, Bu reau of Land Management, Fish
and Wildlife Service, and California Division of Forestry and Fire
Protec tion.

Obituaries

Alfred Emery "Bud"
Lewis

Fort Bidwell resident, Alfred E. "Bud"
Lewis died at the Surprise Valley Hospital in Cedarville on
Friday, April 16, 1999 at the age of 81 from cancer.

A graveside service will be held at the
Fort Bidwell cemetery on Thursday April 22, at 10:00 AM with the
Rev. Dan St.Clair officiating.

Bud was born to Alfred and Birdie
(Richie) Lewis at St. Paul, Minnesota on May 19, 1917. He grew up
in Minnesota where he received his education. He worked for the
railroad in maintenance as a machinist for a number of years
before being drafted into the Army during World War II. He be came
a tool and die maker while stationed at Los Alamos, New Mexico.
After his discharge he owned and operated a machine shop at Sandia
Base, New Mexico for the U.S. Navy. He later ran the experimental
machine shop at the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California
until his retirement in 1973, when he moved to Fort Bidwell. After
re tirement he worked for the Postal Department for about five
years delivering mail on the Fort Bidwell to Tulelake run.

Bud served on the Fort Bidwell Volunteer
Fire Depart ment as President before he came disabled. He loved
the out doors, so as much time as possible was spent fishing, hunt
ing, hiking, rock hounding, gardening and taking care of his
dogs.

He was married to Bessie Florian in 1952
at Truth or Con sequences, New Mexico.

He is survived by his wife, Bessie of
Fort Bidwell; daughter, Joan Gibison of Omaha, Nebraska; son,
Richard Lewis of Perris, Calif., step-daughter, Joan Kahler of
Lake view and a number of grand and great-grandchildren.

Contributions in the memory of Bud may
be made to the Surprise Valley Medical Clinic, 745 Main Street,
Cedarville, CA 96104 or to a charity of the donor's choice.

Desert Rose Funeral Chapel of Lakeview
is in charge of the arrangements.

Record news
summaries for Apirl 29, 1999

Modoc Middle School
sends cards of support to Littleton

Alturas City Council
says golf course for sale

City, Wrymoo agree to
lease arrangement

Modoc Fair opens queen
contest

Regional job fair set
for Modoc High

Free dump day for
spring cleaning

The
forecast: It will be mostly
clear today and mostly sunny Friday with highs around 60. Look for
fair on Saturday and clouds again Sunday with highs to lower 60s.
Lows could be in the 30s.

Middle School students show
they care

Stirred by Columbine High School's
tragic losses in Lit tleton, Colo. last Tuesday, came an inner
well of thoughts and feelings the following day, within Modoc
Middle School students in Alturas.

Many of the local students, administra
tion and staff shared their feelings on four large poster cards
mailed this week, to let the students and families who experienced
the student shooting tragedy in Littleton, Col orado, know they
are not alone in their sad ness.

Julie Sturgeon, a math teacher at MMS
and someone who knew some of the people from the Springfield, Ore.
shooting, was re ceptive to seventh grader Shannon King's idea the
morning after the news of the shoot ing was reported. Shan non
said she thought it would be a "nice ges ture" to have stu dents
fill out a card to send to Columbine High School stu dents and
staff.

The project immediately took off in the
classroom, grow ing from one large poster card to four poster
cards by Friday, as stu dents and staff put their feelings into
words, as best they could.

"Some very deep, surprising and caring
things came out of these kids," said Shan non's mother Karen King
of Al turas. One hun dred seventy people signed the cards in
grades sixth through eighth grades.

The idea had come to Shannon after she
had spoken long-distance with her grand mother in the Bay Area
Tuesday night. She had shared how disturbing she found the shoot
ings at Columbine High.

"Mrs. Sturgeon was a big help with all
of this and let us have a quiet period to talk about social issues
that Wednes day morning. She gave us time to share our feelings
about ev erything," said Shannon.

All of the thoughts that were put into
words on the cards ex pressed condolences.

"Not knowing you makes no difference in
how I feel about the deaths. Death is a very tragic thing,"
offered one student.

"I feel so bad for everyone who lost a
friend, boyfriend or family member. "I can almost feel your pain
and grief for your friends. Talk to your family and re member life
does go on," consoled another.

One showed he had learned from
Columbine's experience to be more tolerant, as one such message
reflected: "I feel sad be cause there is a kid at my school that
always is called names by me and my friends. I won't pick on him
any more because he is my friend."

The City Council of Alturas is getting
tired of replacing divots at Arrowhead Golf Course and has decided
to start the process to sell the facility. Tuesday the council
took the first step by ordering an appraisal of the course.

According to Mayor Dick Steyer,
Arrowhead has been los ing money for the past three years and has
only been in the black a couple of times over the past 10
years.

Steyer told the council and public that
the city had been ap proached by at least two local people and one
family from Oregon who are interested in purchasing the golf
course.

The golf course has been a hot political
potato over the past several years. Councilman George Andreasen
said the time may have come to get out of the golf course
business. He noted the city has been unable to fully please the
golfing pub lic.

"I believe the public will be better
served by private indus try owning the course," said
Andreasen.

Councilman Jack Ochs concurred, saying
the city simply could not continue to subsidize the golf course.
He felt private ownership would be a better way of operating the
course.

Kathy Alves, City Treasurer said the
course now shows a negative $48,000 cash balance and worries that
memberships have gone down this year. The city raised mem bership
fees substantially and there is an on going conflict about the
management con tract. It's important to note, said Alves, that
part of the loss in revenue stems from capital improvement
projects (equipment and irri gation system) made over the last few
years.

For instance, in 1998, the golf course
took in $53,076 in revenue. Including the infras tructure repairs,
the expenses amount to $73,339, showing a loss of $20,362 for the
year. That's a drop from the previous year's loss of $34,583. If
the infrastructure costs are taken out and only operating in come
and expendi tures are figured, the course spent $56,880, re
sulting in a net loss of $3,804.

"We've been dealing with the golf course
for years," said councilman Kerry Merwin. "I think it's time we
put out the word that the golf course is for sale. I am not in
favor of a lease."

The city course is currently operating
un der a five-year management contract with Rod Gately and Brad
Server. The status of that contract is also something the city
will have to deal with if it decides to sell the facil ity.

Gately asked why the city wasn't looking
at a lease as a possible option. That option, he said, would be
something he and Server would favor as well as other people in the
com munity."

Ochs said leases have been discussed,
but the problem with the lease concept is in terms of assets and
who would be responsible for re pairs to equipment and so
on.

Gately said the lease option should be
con sidered and stressed the lease could be writ ten to take the
city's concerns into account.

The council voted unanimously to go for
the appraisal to find out just what they have to sell. They did
not speak in fa vor of a lease arrangement, but did not rule out
the option.

The City of Alturas purchased the golf
course from John and Eve Briggs in March, 1975 and has operated
the facility under a long list of managers since that time.

While Tuesday's vote does not spell emi
nent sale of the course, said Steyer, it cer tainly makes a
statement that this council is ready to move the golf course out
of the public arena and back into the private sector.

City agrees with Wrymoo on
lease of Railroad Museum

The Alturas City Council entered into a
50-year lease op eration agreement with Wrymoo Railroad Historical
Society on operation of the planned Railroad Museum on city
property at the old Alturas Mill site west of Alturas.

Interestingly, the agreement for a lease
with the Railroad Museum came Tuesday morning after councilmen
flatly shot down a lease option idea for Arrowhead Golf Course
management.

The city purchased the site now locating
the proposed Railroad Museum for $121,000, and stresses the
property was purchased for economic development projects, not just
for a Railroad Museum site. The Wrymoo connection came about
following the purchase of the property.

Plans are to build and operate a
historical railroad mu seum on the site plus a short line
excursion/tourist railway.

The city and Wrymoo are agreeing to work
in concert for the upgrade and improvements of the land and
facilities, through grant funding and other fund raising efforts.
Wrymoo has placed much of its equipment and located other
equipment for the museum.

Basically, Wrymoo agrees to pay the city
initial rent of $1 per month as the railroad museum builds up.
Wrymoo also agrees, in the contract to pay the city 80 percent of
its rev enues from operations or activities on a quarterly basis.
While the term is for 50 years, the contract has a two-year
termination clause.

Wrymoo has agreed to pay charges for
utility services after January, 2000. The city will also be
responsible for real property taxes and Wrymoo for taxes on its
personal prop erty.

In addition, the contract sets up a
five-member governing board. Two of those members will be
appointed by Wrymoo, two by the City Council and one member of the
general public appointed by the other four board members.

That board will have pretty far reaching
responsibilities, including recommending expenditures of net
revenue, ac quisition of historic railroad equipment, establishing
pri ori ties for improvements for modification and making other
recommendations on the activities and operations of the mu seum
and railway.

The City and Wrymoo expect the museum
and railway to be profitable down the line, but to date it has
returned little revenue to the city. While the initial property
purchase is not solely for the Railroad Museum, the city has also
spent an other $14,818 on purchases for the entity.

Fair Queen contest
opens

The Modoc District Fair is in search of
candidates for the 1999 Miss Modoc County contest.

Miss Modoc and Princess will act as
official hostesses of Modoc-The Last Frontier Fair, August 19-22,
as well as representing Modoc Cou-nty, by traveling to
nei-ghboring counties during the summer.

The 1999 Modoc County Queen Contest
entry forms will be available Friday in Alturas at the Alturas
Cha-mber of Commerce on Main Street, Modoc County Record office on
Carlos Street and in Cedarville at the Modoc District Fair Of
fice.

The Miss Modoc Contest will be held at
the Cedarville Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 10. In connection
with the contest will be the Fourth Annual Summer Fashion Show
presented by Ardith Ferry with the Classie Las-sie and Betsy
Ingraham with L & B Ranch Supply along with a western barbe
cue pre-pared and served by the Surprise Valley Boy Scouts Troop
48.

Completed entry forms and $25.00 entry
fee must be returned to the Modoc Dis trict Fair office by 5:00 pm
June 11.

The contest rules of eligi bility are
the contestants must be between the ages of 16 and 21 by August
19, 1999. They must have resided in Modoc County for at least one
year. Any contestant attend ing college is eligible as long as
their parents are res idents. They must be single, never married
and never been a parent; maintain a "C" average if still enrolled
in school; and never been placed as a queen or princess in the
contest before.

Prizes include a western outfit, silver
belt buckle, sash and tiara. A $200 U.S. Savings Bond, sponsored
by the Modoc County Farm Bu reau will be presented to the Queen
and a $100.00 Savings Bond sponsored by the Al turas and Surprise
Valley Rotary Clubs will be pre sented to the Princess.

Regional Job fair out to
show stu dents what's up in future

Modoc High School will be hosting the
first ever Tri-State Regional Job Fair on Tuesday, May 4. Over 50
participat ing groups, including many employers, all branches of
the Armed Forces and 15 colleges, will be on hand.

Some of the employers attending the Job
Fair have even indicated that they will be taking applications for
positions they need to fill. The Job Training Center will also be
giv ing out information on their Summer Youth Employment Program,
which offers eligible individuals the chance to work on summer
crews focusing on Recreation, Art in the Park, Child Care,
Maintenance and Pools.

The event will run from 1:00-6:00 p.m.
It is open to high school students from 1:00 to 3:30, and then
open to the general public af ter that. High school students from
Modoc, Surprise Valley, Tulelake, Big Valley and Lakeview will be
attending.

VeeAnn Ambers, Community Coordinator for
the Job Training Center, said that one of the purposes of the fair
is to give students an understanding of the working world and how
their schooling ties into it.

"One of the challenges of academics is
that many students don't see how their classroom learning is
relevant to the work-world they will eventually face," Ambers
noted. "In order to enable them to make wiser choices and de
cisions about their futures, it is necessary to show them early-on
what is available in and around the communities where they will be
living and working.

"Activities like job shadowing, field
trips, guest speakers, internships and job fairs help individuals
gain a better understanding of what type of education or training
to pursue and whether the career they are considering is really
right for them."

The Job Fair will offer over 40 booths
as well as a wide range of seminars and activi ties. There will
also be demonstrations by the California Department of Forestry,
the Alturas Rural Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol,
the Army, and Pro-Bass fish erman Jerry Sanders.

There will also be a tri-tip barbecue
lunch just before the Job Fair begins.

The Tri-State Regional Job Fair is spon
sored by: The Alturas Rotary Clubs, School-To-Work, the partners
in New Directions in cluding the Job Training Center (soon to be
known as the Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc.), the
Employment Development Department, Modoc Joint Unified School
District, SOLO and Modoc County Office of Education.

Free dump days at various
sites.

Spring cleaning time at
dumps

It's time to get out and clean up the
yard and property. And just to help, Modoc County and Alturas
Disposal are of fering four free dump days at various
sites.

The free dump day is de signed to help
local res idents clean up their yards after the long win ter, get
rid of some old cars or appliances and other junk. It is not a day
where resi dents can bring their regular garbage free of
charge.

The follow ing is the free dump
schedule: May 1, the Newell transfer sta tion; May 2, the Lookout
trans fer station; May 8, the Lake City transfer station; and May
9, the Alturas Transfer Station. No other dumps in the county will
be open for the free service. Residents will have to travel to one
of those four sites on the date in dicated.

Rick Hironymous, Public Works, said the
county cen tral ized the dump loca tions to give residents a fair
chance to do their spring cleaning pro jects and get rid of the
debris easily and free.

The transfer stations will accept yard
waste (limbs, leaves and wood) appliances (washers, dry ers,
refrig era tors and freez ers) and scrap metal and junk cars at no
charge to all county resi dents. Appliances must have all oil and
flu ids removed, in cluding freon, or have the com pressors and or
trans mis sions removed before they can be accepted. Refrigerator
and freezer doors must be re moved.

Cars must have titles or junk certifi
cates from the Department of Motor Vehicles and have all oil and
anti-freeze removed.

"No household garbage will be accepted
free," said Hironymous. "If you bring household garbage, you will
be charged for it. Please have everything separated to help all of
us speed up things."

For more information please call Alturas
Disposal at 233-2373 or Public Works at 233-6403.

May, 1999

Record
news summaries for May 6, 1999

MJU Super suspected of
spying on principal, staff

Nor-Cal says rates with
PP&L purchase constant

Children's Fair enters
12th year

Land Use Committee hits
several issues

Juried Art show is at
Center this weekend

Duck Race tickets are
going fast

MJU Superintendent
suspected of spying on principal, staff

Modoc Joint Unified School District
Superintendent Craig Drennan is suspected of placing a hidden
video cam era in the office of Modoc High School Principal Duke
Pasquini. Neither Pasquini, nor high school staff, knew the camera
was in the office.

That camera was discovered and
confiscated by Alturas Police Tuesday about noon and a report will
be filed with the Modoc County District Attorney's Office for
possible action.

According to Alturas Chief of Police
Larry Pickett, the lo cation of the camera was reported to his
office Tuesday and he and Sergeant Stacy Callaghan responded to
Pasquini's office and found the camera. Pickett had heard it was
either a camera or electronic device, so his office responded
quickly.

In addition, said Pickett, the police
department had done some investigative interviews in that office
recently and he was concerned those interviews, if taped, violated
the juve niles' and parents' rights.

Pickett said the camera was placed in
the southwest cor ner of Pasquini's office ceiling, and the lens
was camou flaged by a fake smoke detector. The camera and related
equipment was found in the attic above that office.

Police suspect the camera has been in
place and operating for about six months.

On Wednesday, police responded to a call
from the teach ers at Modoc High School and investigated the
teacher's lounge for other cameras. None were found. Teachers at
Modoc High School have expressed serious concern and anger about
the practice of installing hidden cameras in the school.

School officials state the camera only
recorded video and no audio. The camera is being sent to crime
laboratories for further investigation.

Drennan told Pickett the camera was
there because he suspected there were information leaks coming out
of Pasquini's office. He said the camera did not provide the
district with any suspects in the leaks. Drennan also con tends
that his legal counsel advised him he had the authority to use the
hidden camera.

Wednesday, Drennan said the camera was
placed in Pasquini's office because he suspected paper documents
had been taken from that office, confidential files were read and
information leaked and people had been "rifling" through files. He
said the camera was turned off when it did not re veal any such
activity.

According to a maintenance supervisor of
the District, he would pick up the tapes each morning and deliver
them to Drennan's office. Drennan told Pickett on Tuesday that po
lice would be welcome to look for the tapes, but on Wednesday
morning he told police all the tapes were de stroyed.

Pickett said he was told the camera has
not been in use over the past few weeks but when operating it was
on 24 hours day, five days per week.

Pasquini, on Wednesday morning said he
was "very up set"that the camera had been placed in his office
without his knowledge. He said he has not decided what path to
take in the situation, but was going to investigate and may
contact his attornies.

Pickett said school officials told him
the equipment and its installation had a price tag of about
$4,500. Apparently, the Modoc Joint Unified School District Board
of Trustees did not know about the camera and had not approved any
such expenditure. Drennan has the authority to make those types of
purchases and apparently only one member of the board knew the
hidden camera was in place.

According to Police, other fake smoke
alarms were in stalled in other offices at the high school in an
effort to defer attention of the one covering the camera lens.
There were fake alarms in the high school principal's reception
office, the counselor's office and in the counselor secretary's
office. Pickett said he was also concerned about putting up fake
smoke alarms in a public school.

The investigation into the incident is
continuing.

Editor's Note: The Modoc Record
received a phone call from an anonymous source Tuesday morning
stating there was a hidden camera in Pasquini's office that had
been recording meetings with staff and the public. The Record
turned that information over to the Alturas Police depart ment at
noon Tuesday and they promptly started their inves
tigation.

Nor-Cal says rates will
remain constant with pending PP& L purchase

The Nor-Cal Electric Authority is in the
process of pur chasing the northern California properties of
Pacific Power and Nor-Cal Chairman Clyde Eller was in Modoc
Wednesday to meet with local officials.

Eller addressed what is the major
concern of the area, power rates, and said rates would remain the
same with this purchase. He said there is no rate increase
projected with the deal.

In addition, Eller met with
representatives of the Modoc County Board of Supervisors and is
inviting both Siskiyou and Modoc Counties to join and have board
member on the Nor-Cal Joint Powers Authority.

The initial participants in the JPA are
Del Norte County, where Eller is a County Supervisor, and the City
of Yreka. Nor-Cal is negotiating the purchase of PP&L property
that includes all or part of Del Norte, Siskiyou, Modoc and Shasta
Counties.

Eller said it will be important for
Modoc County to have representation on the Board of the
JPA.

Currently Nor-Cal and Pacific have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the purchase of
the facilities. They are now working out conditions of the
purchase agreement. Both parties hope to have that agree ment
signed and in place in June. The project will then go to the
California Public Utilities Commission for review, and Nor-Cal is
hoping that the sale and transfer of property will be completed
and approved during the first quarter of 2000.

Eller stressed that Nor-Cal will not
take possession of the property until Pacific ensures and it is
proven there are no Y2K problems. The county and Nor-Cal will be
meeting more frequently in the future.

Children's Fair grows into
12th year

Much like the children it was de signed
to serve, the Children's Fair con tinues to grow and evolve from
year to year. Now entering it's 12th year, this event will
practically be an adolescent when it takes place on May 15 from
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Modoc High School.

Barbara Weed and Gail Eppler,
Co-Directors of the Fair for 1999, say that the Fair has become a
big hit in the commu nity for a variety of reasons.

Eppler noted, "It's an escape from
reality for a day," while Weed pointed out that the whole family
can make an inex pensive day out of the Fair since the booths are
designed to be not for profit. Any money made at any booth gets
donated to the Fair for next year.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the
Fair's success though, is that it involves the entire
community.

"It takes a whole community to do this,"
Weed said. "That is what has hooked people. So many agencies have
bought into this."

Community involvement is how an event of
the Fair's magnitude can get put on with a budget of a mere $8300.
Many employers do nate their employees time to participate in the
Fair. Families Matter and Resource &

Referral of T.E.A.C.H. are also big
contribu tors. Modoc County Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol
Counseling both donated $2000 this year.

Getting the Fair to run also requires a
number of people to work on 16 different committees.

"There are so many different entities
that right now it's a really scary time," Weed said. "Everything
seems scattered. The day before is when it all comes
together.

The Fair has become such a big deal that
Little League doesn't schedule any games that day, Modoc High has
moved its prom, and the Modoc Joint Unified School District has
moved its inservice day to coincide with the Fair.

The very popular "Wild Things" animal
demonstration will also be back for another year.

Bass Fisherman Jerry Sanders will give
kids an opportu nity to cast off his boat for prizes.

Of course there will also be the usual
smat tering of booths with everything from food to prizes to
fun.

Several issues on land use
committee

Toping the agenda for the Modoc County
Land Use Committee May 12 is a search to replace or reappoint
expir ing members terms.

There are 25 members of the committee,
and while some are there because of their positions or vocations,
many are public members at large.

The committee will also discuss and try
to come up with county guidelines concerning public land road
closures. The U.S. Forest Service has a directive to close roads
and the Land Use Committee wants to see some logical and real
guidelines used in the process.

In addition. the committee will be
discussing the theory of "grass banks" as a art of grazing tools.
Those "banks" would be used, for instance, when an allotment is
targeted for a prescribed burn and that grazing area would be out
of use of a couple of years. The "grass bank" would be an area
held in reserve for those cases and released for use by the permit
holder for grazing until the burned allotment regen erates and is
usable.

The meeting is held at the Farm
Advisors' Conference at the 4th Street complex and will start at
1:30 p.m. next Wednesday.

Juried Art Show, Sale opens
with Mother's Day weekend reception

Adult artists in Modoc County will have
the oppor tunity to enter the 15th An nual Spring Juried Fine Art
Exhibition and Sale over the Mother's Day weekend May 7-9.

The public will be wel comed to the
artists' recep tion which will open the show on Fri day night, May
7 at 7:00 p.m. with wine and hors d'oeuvres to be served at the
Art Center, 317 South Main Street, Alturas,

The show will continue until 9 p.m.
Friday evening, then be open to the public on Saturday, May 8 from
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and continue Sunday, May 9 until 5 p.m.

"This will be a nice show with local and
other artists from Burney and Fall River who haven't been in this
show for a long time," offers Ken Franklin, Director for the Modoc
County Arts Coun cil which sponsors the event annually.

Artists are invited to leave several
pieces for dis play throughout the month of May, if they so
choose. "The show/sale will actually con tinue at the Art Center
through May 31," notes Franklin.

This year's California State Summer
School for the Arts winners will be an nounced during the high
school awards night and not during this year's art recep tion,
explained Franklin. The winners should be made known within the
next two weeks, he added.

Directions for
Artists

Application forms have been sent to last
year's par ticipants. To obtain an ap plication to enter the
Juried Show or simply to exhibit personal art work, please contact
Ken Franklin, Modoc County Arts Council Director at (530)
233-2505. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three winners in
each category with ribbons awarded in First through Fourth places
and Honorable Mention. Cash awards will be determined by the
amount of entry fees.

Check in for artists will begin tonight,
May 6 from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Art Cen ter and Friday, May 7
from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. All paint ings, drawings, etc. must be
matted and framed with or without glass, with wire on the back for
hanging. Matted only pieces will be accepted only if properly
equipped to hang. For more information call Ken Franklin, (530)
233-2505.

Good response for 1999
version of Duck Race

There has been excellent response for
prizes and coupons for the 1999 Great Pit River Duck race and the
real nitty gritty gets going right now.

The 3,000 rubber ducks will go on sale
April 15 at $25 each. Top prize is a brand new Chevy stepside
pickup.

A real bonus this year is the donation
of a 425cc four-wheel-drive Polaris ATV from Intermountain Farm
Credit of Alturas. Intermountain Farm Credit won the ATV last
year's Duck race and is returning it (still new) to Rotary for a
prize. According to Duck Race orga nizer Billy Madison, there will
also be another ATV of fered as a prize. Both of those prizes are
only in the Gold Crown category for those people who purchase 10
or more ducks each.

If a business does not receive a letter
about the Duck Race and would like to participate, or for more
informa tion please call Bill Madison at 233-3432.

The proceeds from the Duck Race go into
the Alturas Youth Park. The area for the new Youth Park fields
(four baseball and two soccer), has been cleared, leveled, fenced,
the irrigation system installed and trees and grass planted. It's
moving along well, but more funding is needed to take care of
several items, including re strooms, concession area, playground
and overall field construc tion.

Record new
summaries for May 13, 1999

DA files felony charges
in hidden camera case

Elks banquet stuns
committee, $42,000 raised

Children's Fair is big
event for Saturday

Free dump days prove
popular

Modoc Museum opens for
season

Post Office delivers on
food drive

Modoc Fair looking or
queen

Obituaries:

Mitchell

Hughes

Hohler

DA files felony charges in
case of hidden camera

Modoc County District Attorney Tom
Buckwalter has filed felony charges alleg ing eavesdropping
against Modoc Joint Unified School District Superintendent Craig
Drennan in connection with a hidden cam era in Modoc High School
Principal Duke Pasquini's office.

Drennan is scheduled for arraignment in
Modoc Justice Court June 8. On Tuesday, Drennan was placed on
adminis trative leave until the determina tion of the legal case
is fi nal. Alturas Elementary School Principal Randy Wise will
fill in during Drennan's absence. Drennan did not attend Tuesday
night's board meeting.

Buckwalter filed the charges Tuesday af
ternoon after in vestigating the case and hearing from all sides,
including the dis trict's legal counsel. Drennan had ordered the
cam era installed in that office.

The hidden camera was discovered and
removed by the Alturas Police Department May 4 after it's
existence was re ported to them. Pasquini was not told the camera
was in his office. It was in the ceiling and the lens was covered
by a false smoke detector. The camera had been in operation for
about six months.

School officials reported to police that
the camera operated 24 hours per day, five days per week and was
turned off a few weeks ago. The camera, according to school
officials, recorded only video and no sound, but Buckwalter said
that does not change the eavesdropping charge.

There are no charges pending against
anyone else con nected with the installation or operation of the
camera, said Buckwalter.

Drennan has steadfastly denied any
wrongdoing in the incident, saying he had asked for and received
legal advice from the district's legal counsel saying the
placement of the camera was a permissible act. Buckwalter
disagrees with the district's legal counsel interpretation on the
issue.

Drennan said he set up the camera
because some sensi tive personnel information had been leaked or
files rifled through in Pasquini's office. He has said that some
of the in formation leaked concerned Pasquini's records and
files.

While Drennan has told staff that he in
stalled the camera for Pasquini's and staff protection, Pasquini
said he would never have agreed to that camera. He said he cer
tainly would have liked to know it was there, but has stated he
would have asked Drennan to remove it from his private of
fice.

Tuesday the Modoc Teachers Association
issued a state ment at the special board meet ing saying the ". .
.trust and integrity pre sent in the district has been severed. We
urge the Board to assess the professional and ethi cal conduct of
the superintendent and his management style. We charge the Board
of Trustees with the responsibility of resolving this breach of
trust."

The teachers association says it is en
trusted with teach ing and modeling basic values, including
respect for others, honesty, ethics, courtesy, personal
responsibility and so on.

The MTA states it is "dismayed and of
fended by Superintendent Craig Drennan's disregard of many of
these basic values through his decision to covertly tape the ac
tions of staff members, students, and parents in this district."

On Saturday, the MJUSD Board of Trustees
held a meet ing to discuss the situa tion, but took no action.
Board President Bill Hall, who was informed initially that a
surveillance camera would be used in Pasquini's office, re signed
as President of the Board. He said he stepped down from that
position for the good of the district as well as his family. Hall
said he didn't think what Drennan had pro posed at the time (last
December) was illegal. Hall remains as a member of the board and
Sean Curtis has as sumed the role of President.

No bull! Elk banquet brings
in $42,000

The phenomenal success of the first
annual Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Warner Mountain Chapter
banquet, Saturday evening was a sur prise to some people, and
perhaps even to the na tional head quarters.

The banquet, held at the Veteran's Lodge
in Alturas, raised a gross of just over $84,000, and after ex
penses, netted over $42,000 for the RMEF. There were 225 people
who attended the ban quet, both local and from out of the
area.

"We surpassed what the foundation
expected us to raise by a substantial amount," said local commit
tee chair Bill Madison. "Overall, I'd say it was pretty
incredible. The committee did a great job and the banquet went
very well. We amazed ourselves. The committee worked very hard to
make this a success."

The local chapter commit tee includes:
Madison, Jim Hays, Paul Bailey, Mark Pence, Walt Tamagni, Dan
Silveria, Jerry Hoxsey, John Dederick, Keith Jacques, Wayne
Bethel, Chuck McElwain, Rusty Stanford, Vern Seevers and George
Wistos. In addition to work ing very hard to make the banquet
work, Madison said those commit tee members were also some of the
top fi nancial supporters of the event.

A very special guest for the evening was
Larry Bucher, of Tarzana, California. Bucher is a member of the
RMEF National Board of Directors. He was born and raised in Fort
Bidwell and is recog nized nationally for his ef forts and status
in the organi zation.

"We were honored to have Larry with us
for our first ban quet," said Madison. "It was one of the real
highlights of the evening."

In addition, some other former Modoc'ers
were on hand and supported the local chapter with sizable dona
tions. Included in that group were Roy and Jolene Pace, Yreka, and
Andy and Nancy Hoxsey, Napa.

According to Madison, there were many
out-of-town guests at the banquet, who had nothing but good things
to say about the first offering of the Warner Mountain
Chapter.

According to RMEF, the average spent per
individual at a local big game banquet is $225. The average spent
per person at the Alturas banquet was $375.

"I think it goes to show there is a lot
of positive inter est in the elk herd and in Modoc County," said
Madison. "It was a very grati fying evening."

Madison said most of the items and
firearms were pur chased locally. Many of the firearms were
offered as draw ing prizes and other were part of the auction. The
RMEF Big Game Banquet 15th Anniversary Rifle, number 183 in a se
ries of 425, went at auction for $3,500. That was just $50 less
than the number one rifle in the series, which Madison be lieves
was sold at the Reno banquet.

An original oil painting by Washington
wildlife artist Jim McGee was the high auc tion item, collecting
$7,200. A metal frog sculpture was also a highlight as the bids on
it topped out at $3,500. The auc tioneer for the night was Boyd
Gibbons, who did his part in raising funds.

In addition to the general auction,
there was a silent auc tion, door prizes, a general drawing for
other items and a special drawing for select items.

Dinner was prepared and served by Pizza
and Pasta, who Madison credits with do ing an excellent job all
around. The Delta Omega Sorority helped out the evening serving
cocktails and wine and funds raised will go into their annual
scholarships.

The chapter also welcomed 10 new life
members to the RMEF. Usually, said Madison, chapters collect only
a few at each banquet. Those new life members of the Warner
Mountain Chapter are: Jerry Sanders, Dan and Carol Silveria,
Dennis Tate, Steve Miller, Rusty Stanford, Jerry Hoxsey, Andy
Hoxsey, David Hoxsey, Josh Hoxsey and Jim Del Bondio.

The RMEF is an interna tional, nonprofit
wildlife con servation organization based in Missoula, Montana,
who mission is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and
their habitat. Local banquets form the backbone of the RMEF's
fundraising program. The dollars raised at these ban quets fund
habitat acquisi tions, habitat improvement projects, re search,
elk trans plants and conservation edu cation pro grams. Since
1984, RMEF has generated $70 mil lion to con serve and enhance
more than 2.4 million acres of wildlife habitat across North
America.

Children's fair sets for
big time this Saturday

Literally thousands of children are ex
pected to take part in the 12th annual Modoc Children's Fair
"Magical Moments" Saturday at Modoc High School.

The Children's Fair has become one of
the most antici pated and well-attended events of the year in the
county and this year will be no exception. The weather may be
cool, but no major storms are predicted. There are a dozen
different committees involved in or ganizing the food booths,
games, displays and demonstrations for the event.

The drug, alcohol, and tobacco free
family fun day gets underway at 9 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. The
grand open ing is at 9:30 a.m. on the Main Stage. There is a fun
run at 8 a.m.

In addition, there are plenty of
performing acts on line including a magi cian/illusionist Grant
Dougherty of Klamath Falls, Old-time Fiddlers, the 3XB Band,
Belles and Beaus, the popular Wild Things, and the Desperado
Band.

Most of the emergency service agencies
in the county will also have their vehicles on display for looking
and for touch ing and in some cases actually spraying the fire
hoses.

There are camel rides scheduled again
this year, which has been a popular activity every year.

While all the numbers haven't been
tabulated just yet, the Modoc County Department of Public Works
reports that the free dump days in the county were very
popular.

Assistant Public Works Director Rick
Hironymous said the staff is busy adding up the trash as well as
the number of loaded vehicles which showed up at the four
landfills over four days the last two weekends. The landfills open
in cluded Lookout, Newell, Lake City and Alturas.

Hironymous said the traffic going into
the Lake City transfer station on Saturday was very heavy and was
well more than he or county staff expected.

On Sunday the wait to get into the
Alturas Transfer sta tion lasted as long as two hours as vehicles
were backed up from the dump entrance all the way to the railroad
tracks just south of town. That's more than a mile.

"It looks as though we got an awful lot
of trash and yards cleaned up," said Hironymous. "I know the crews
were cer tainly tired after their days. There was an awful lot of
traf fic."

No household trash was accepted free,
but residents more than made up for that by bringing yard and tree
trimmings, old appliances, cars and other steel and metal
items.

Modoc Museum displays
collec tions

The arrival of May means that the Modoc
County Historical Museum is once again open. The Museum will
operate from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday,
until October. There is no charge to visit the Museum. Donations
are accepted.

The Museum offers several new displays
this year, the most prominent of which is the hat collection which
covers the Museum's entire east wall. The hats, as well as several
dresses, are from the personal collections of Orletta Word, Gladys
Woodward, Iris Turner and Mary Flournoy. The dis play even
indicates who wore what hat and when, and offers an interesting
way to follow the trail of fashion through the years.

Right underneath the hat collection is a
working player pi ano donated by Ralph and Gladys Bowman.

There is also a display fea turing many
historical arti facts relating to schools. For example, there is a
Modoc High grad uation announce ment from 1908, and a Surprise
Valley High yearbook from 1914.

There is also a new display on camping,
and the World War I and World War II collec tions have been
expanded.

For those who say, "Show me the money!",
the Museum has the answer with a display of historic coins and
bills. The display includes a collection of valuable dimes donated
by Andy Olsen.

Don't forget that Modoc County has had
its share of in triguing stories over the years. A new display
outlines one of them, the French case, where a rivalry between
newspapers led to a murder in the 1930's.

USPS, community donates big
delivery

"It was so successful, we really had a
tremendous re sponse from the commu nity," said Cheryl Haggard as
"Stamp Out Hunger" Al turas coordinator for the Al turas Post
Office.

By late last Saturday af ternoon all
Alturas area carriers and HCR drivers had picked up 1,035 pounds
of non-perishable food items donated by local residents to help
stamp out hunger lo cally.

"Single cans were the ex ception,"
described carrier Brian Harden. "The people of Alturas really
outdid themselves. They had notes and colored cards attached to
whole bags of food. It was ex cellent."

"We had fun doing it," added Haggard.
"We'd open these boxes we'd picked up next to mail boxes and find
two and three bags of food in them. It was like Christ
mas."

The receptacles in the Alturas Post
Office lobby also filled quickly through out the week, as those
who had Post Office boxes do nated goods.

The TEACH Modoc Emergency Food Bank and
Federated Church Emer gency Food Supplies were re plenished with
the deliver ies.

A nationwide Food Drive took place the
same day, May 8 as organized by the Na tional Association of
Letter Carri ers, the US Postal Ser vice, United Way and
AFL-CIO.

The Alturas Postal Carri ers plan to
take part in next year's national drive.

Modoc County Queen entries
due June 11

The Modoc District Fair is in search of
candidates for the 1999 Miss Modoc County contest.

Miss Modoc and Princess will act as
official hostesses of Modoc-The Last Frontier Fair, August 19-22,
as well as representing Modoc Cou-nty, by traveling to
nei-ghboring counties during the summer.

The 1999 Modoc County Queen Contest
entry forms will be available Friday in Alturas at the Alturas
Cha-mber of Commerce on Main Street, Modoc County Record office on
Carlos Street and in Cedarville at the Modoc District Fair Of
fice.

The Miss Modoc Contest will be held at
the Cedarville Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 10. In connection
with the contest will be the Fourth Annual Summer Fashion Show
presented by Ardith Ferry with the Classie Las-sie and Betsy
Ingraham with L & B Ranch Supply along with a western barbe
cue pre-pared and served by the Surprise Valley Boy Scouts Troop
48.

Completed entry forms and $25.00 entry
fee must be returned to the Modoc Dis trict Fair office by 5:00 pm
June 11.

The contest rules of eligi bility are
the contestants must be between the ages of 16 and 21 by August
19, 1999. They must have resided in Modoc County for at least one
year. Any contestant attend ing college is eligible as long as
their parents are res idents. They must be single, never married
and never been a parent; maintain a "C" average if still enrolled
in school; and never been placed as a queen or princess in the
contest before.

Prizes include a western outfit, silver
belt buckle, sash and tiara. A $200 U.S. Savings Bond, sponsored
by the Modoc County Farm Bu reau will be presented to the Queen
and a $100.00 Savings Bond sponsored by the Al turas and Surprise
Valley Rotary Clubs will be pre sented to the Princess.

Obituaries

Mabel Claire Flournoy
Mitchell

Mabel Claire Flournoy Mitchell passed
away May 1, 1999 in Woodland Hills, Calif. Private interment will
be held at the Likely Cemetery at a later date.

Mabel was born in Likely, Calif. on the
home ranch to Lutie and Arthur Flournoy on October 5, 1907. She
was the third child of ten Flournoy children.

After graduating from Modoc Union High
School and the University of Nevada at Reno, she taught schools in
Reno and Fallon, Nev. She married Walter "Mitch" Mitchell on
October 21, 1932 in Reno. The couple made their home in Seattle,
Washington for "quite some time," according to family members,
while Mitch was a pilot with Northwest Air lines. They later
bought Modern Appliance in Al turas and moved to Alturas where
they reared their two children. After they sold the Alturas
business, they moved to Santa Monica.

Mrs. Flournoy was an avid bridge player
and a beautiful pianist. She remained very close to her family
throughout the years and was always there to help when needed.
After her husband died on September 7, 1971, she and her sister
Hazel shared a home in Woodland for a time, before Mabel moved to
Woodland Hills.

"She was a devoted daughter, sister,
wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who cherished her
life-long friends and was truly a joy to know and love," de
scribes her family.

She is survived by her daughter Georgie
Green and hus band Jerry of Woodland Hills, Calif.; a son Robert
"Rob" Mitchell and wife Jude of Silverthorne, Colo.; seven grand
children and five great-grandchildren; a sister Hazel Dor ris of
Woodland, Calif.; sisters-in-law Mary Flournoy of Likely and Alice
Flournoy ; three brothers and their wives Donald and Shirley
Flournoy; Robert and Lizzette Flournoy and Warren and Beverly
Flournoy all of Likely and nu merous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her sisters
Georgie Flournoy and Helen F. Auble; a sister-in-law Amy Ruthe
Flournoy and brothers Kenneth, John D. and Harry O.
Flournoy.

Memorial contributions may be directed
to a charity of the donor's choice.

Melba R. Hughes

Services for Melba R. Hughes of Alturas,
will be held to day, May 13 at 11 a.m. at graveside at the Alturas
Cemetery. Mrs. Hughes passed away in Alturas, Calif. on Tuesday,
May 11, 1999 at the age of 82.

Born Melba R. Ring in Oroville, Calif.
on October 11, 1916, she was a graduate of the Oroville High
School. She married Richard "Dick" Hughes August 4, 1945 in
Burlingame, Calif. Melba, Dick and family moved to Cedar Pass,
Modoc County in 1956, where Dick was employed for the Division of
Highways. In 1957, they moved to Davis Creek, where Melba was
active in school and community activities.

The family moved to Alturas in 1968.
Melba began work at the Sears Catalogue Store and later she worked
for many years for Paul and Fran Breshears at the B &W
Pharmacy on Main Street, Alturas.

"Melba loved people and they loved her,"
shares her daughter. After retirement, she cared for her grandson
Luke and enjoyed playing pinochle. Melba and Dick also enjoyed
taking many bus trips with the Modoc Senior Citizens, trav eling
as far as Washington, D.C. Melba was a wonderful cook and home
maker. She will be greatly missed by her lov ing family and
friends.

She is survived by her husband Dick
Hughes; daughter Vicki Hughes; grandson Luke Hughes, all of
Alturas; son Richard Hughes; grandsons Benjamin and Justin Hughes
of Portola Valley and sister Helen Burns of San Jose.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Hughes
name may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 919 N. Michigan
Ave., Suite 1000, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1676.

George Berry Hohler

George Berry Hohler, 73, died at his
home in Prineville, Oregon, on May 4, 1999.

Mr. Hohler was born on June 9, 1925, to
Nicholas W. and Gertrude Berry Hohler, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He married Jeanne Carol Bullard on November 20, 1948. After
graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1950, Mr. Hohler
moved his family to California. He worked in fi nance and real
estate and later for the American Red Cross.

Beginning in 1980, Mr. Hohler owned and
operated "The Most Likely Cafe" in Likely, CA. After retiring in
1986, he worked as a meter reader for Surprise Valley Electric in
Alturas, CA.

In 1998, Mr. Hohler moved to Prineville,
Oregon, where he resided until his death. He greatly enjoyed his
canine companions, visiting with family and friends, good food,
barbershop singing, playing bridge, reading, crossword puzzles,
and collecting old records and books. He was a member of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, having served as a bombardier in the
Army Air Corps in WWII.

Survivors include: daughters Diane Carol
Hohler Miller of Napa, California, and Rebecca Louise Addington of
Prinevile, Oregon; sons David Berry Hohler of Corvallis, Oregon,
and Nicholas William Hohler of Santa Rosa, Cali fornia; wife
Jeanne Carol Hohler of Napa, California; sis ter Betty Smith of
San Mateo, California; cousin Ruth Freathy of Napa, California;
one niece and five grandchil dren. Mr. Hohler was preceded in
death by his parents and two brothers.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00
p.m. at Treadway and Wigger Funeral Home on June 5, 1999, in Napa,
Cali fornia. Memorials or donations may be made to Ronald McDonald
Houses, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or
Hospice. Whispering Pines Funeral Home of Prineville, Oregon will
be handling the arrangements.

Record news
summaries fo May 20, 1999

Thena employees finally
to get 1995 wages

3,000 people attend
Children's Fair

Appeal filed on
Medicine Lake geothermal

Campgrounds ready for
Memorial Day

Ft. Bidwell barbecue
set for May 30

Stateline students are
off an learning adventure

Wildflower tours set on
the forest

The
forecast: Mostly cloudy skies
today with a slight chance of thundershowers. Mostly clearer and
warmer Friday through Sunday, lows 30s and 40s. Highs into the
70s.

Employees of Thena, Inc,
finally to receive wages from 1995

After waiting and wading through the
bankruptcy pro ceedings, 33 local employees of Thena, Inc. at
California Pines are finally going to get paid wages owed them
since 1995.

According to information from the U.S.
Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon, the employees will
receive a total of $42,214.17. Some of the employees will receive
from $1,500 to $4,000 each.

The offices of Thena, Inc. at California
Pines and offices of Diversified Paper Products, Oregon Racing
Products, T&D Properties and Resort Ventures were raided by
federal and local agents on February 7, 1995 and all records
seized.

One of the principals of those
companies, Ted Combis, is now serving a 57-month sentence in
Sheridan federal prison in connection with a variety of charges
stemming partially from his operation at California Pines.

Combis, 55, was sentenced in February,
1998 for mail fraud, failure to pay taxes and a separate count of
fraudulent receipt of property. In addition to the 57-month
sentence, he was also ordered to pay a total of $16,000 in
restitution.

The law requires Combis to serve a
minimum of 85 per cent of his sentence.

Combis, was accused of taking $15
million worth of tim ber from lots in California Pines and entered
the guilty pleas to avoid a lengthy court case. The federal govern
ment, who prosecuted the case, said it placed the fraud loss at be
tween $800,000 and $1.5 million.

Combis established Thena Inc. in 1993
and mailed hun dreds of letters to California Pines property
owners offering to salvage dead and dying timber from their lots.
The gov ernment said Combis took the dead and dying plus large
numbers of healthy, valuable trees from the lots. It's esti mated
that 7,000 truckloads of logs were hauled from Cal Pines.

The government raided California Pines
and Combis' busi nesses in Klamath Falls in February, 1995. All of
Combis' assets were seized. Thena, Inc. then filed bankruptcy,
still owing tens of thousands of dollars to Alturas and Klamath
Falls businesses and Cal Pines em ployees. In total, Thena owed
about $3.4 million to about 500 creditors.

More than 3,000 people showed up for a
day of fun, food and entertainment at the Modoc Children's Fair
Saturday.

"It really was a magical day," said
co-co ordinator Gayle Eppler. "The weather was nice and everything
ran very smoothly. We had no complaints and everyone had a very
good time."

The weather man had predicted partly
cloudy and possi ble showers, but while the clouds showed up, the
rain stayed away. That was a real benefit to fairgoers. The sun
was a welcome relief, and even though it did not get real warm, it
was pleasant.

"It was a lot of work for the committee,
but we were very pleased with the results," Eppler said. "It's
always nice to see the kids having that much fun and having all
the families to gether."

According to VeeAnn Ambers, the day went
very smoothly and everyone enjoyed themselves. Mental Health's
1,200 hamburg ers, a normal meter of numbers of people at the
fair, sold out by 1:30 p.m. Most all the food booths sold out of
items by the end of the fair.

According to Eppler, families spent the
day mingling and going through all of the booths and activities.
There was plenty to do, all the way from face painting, to
bubbles, bingo, experiments, eating, camel rides, Wild Things
wildlife, bass casting, eating, clay modeling, fishing for prizes,
bead stringing, bean bag tossing, treasure hunt ing, eating,
spraying the fire hose, dancing, listening to music, dime toss,
eating, and more.

The fair got a bit of a slow start at 9
a.m. because of the cool weather, but by noon the crowds started
arriving. By the time the fair ended at 3 p.m., the lawns at Modoc
High School had been well traveled and the volun teers tired but
satisfied with another success ful endeavor.

Environmentalists, Na tive Americans,
and sports fishermen filed an appeal, May 17, with the Siskiyou
County Air Pollution Con trol Board requesting prepara tion of an
envi ronmental impact report on large-scale geothermal exploration
pro posed by Calpine Corporation in the Medicine Lake High lands
just north of Medicine Lake and east of Mount Shasta.

The target of the appeal is Calpine's
pro posal to develop a 49.9 megawatt geothermal power plant and
well field and 24-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line in the
vicinity of Medicine Lake on the Klamath and Modoc national forest
in Siskiyou and Modoc coun ties. Al though federal agencies re
viewing this project have concluded that it has signifi cant
adverse visual and noise effects on Medicine Lake and cultural
resources in the Medicine Lake High lands, an area held sa cred by
many Native Americans, the Siskiyou Air Pollution Control Officer
de clined to prepare an EIR. The Save Medicine Lake Coalition
notes in its appeal that the APCO's refusal to prepare an EIR
violates the Califor nia Environmental Quality Act be cause this
geothermal project has many sig nifi cant adverse environmental
impacts.

"Calpine's proposal wou-ld, if carried
through to full field development, trans-form a remote alpine
plateau endowed with breathtaking scenery and outstanding
re-creational re sources, into a noisy and con gested indus-trial
zone of drilling pads, roads, toxic ponds, pipes and high volt age
power lines," explained the President of Medicine Lake Citizens
for Quality Envi ronment, Janie Painter. "The public is enti tled
to full disclosure of this project's harm ful impacts in an EIR so
that informed ma-nagement decisions can be made," added Ms.
Painter.

Ryan Henson, Conserva tion Director of
the Califor nia Wilderness Coalition, hailed the appeal as a vital
first step in sounding the alarm that two of Californi a's wildest
road less areas, Mt. Hoffman and Dobie Flat, would be destroyed if
Calpine's proposed geother mal development is allowed. These
roadless areas repre sent a unique intersec tion of the Siskiyou
Mountains and eastern Cascade ecosys tems," explained Mr. Hen son,
"and should be pre ser-ved for future genera tions to study and
enjoy." Kyle Haines, Field Repre sent-ative of the Kla math Forest
Alliance, agreed that the Medicine Lake High lands "represents a
spectac ular convergence of alpine scen-ery, unique geologic
form-ations including Glass Mou-ntain -- the largest ex posed
block of obsidian in Cali-fornia -- and extraordi nary cultural
resources from cen-turies of Native American commerce and habita
tion."

"The Pit River, Modoc, Shasta, Wintu and
Karuk Tribes revered the Medicine Lake Highlands because of its
proximity to Mt. Shasta and the opportunity it pro vided for
communion with the Creator," explained Mic-helle Berditschevsky of
the Mt. Shasta Bioregional Ec-ology Center and Native Coalition
for Medicine Lake Highlands De fense. "The Air Pollution Control
Offi cer ignored recent ethno graphic studies docu ment ing far
more extensive cul tural re sources than previ ously reported, and
failed to disclose the noise and visual effects of large-scale
indus trial intrusions into Native American burial grounds and
other lands of cultural significance to the Native American
community," poi-nted out Ms. Berditschev-sky.

"The Medicine Lake Hig-hlands is the
watershed for several of California's mig-htiest rivers, including
the McCloud, the Sacramento and the Klamath," noted Mike Fitzwater
of the Fall River Wild Trout Foun da tion. "Calpine has failed to
answer hard questions about the effect its proposed ex ploitation
of this area's geo-thermal re sources will have on the purity,
tempera ture and flow of these head water rivers, includ ing Cal
ifor-nia's premier native trout fly fishing stream, the Fall
River," he added.

"This appeal seeks to rec tify a
profound cultural in justice to the Native Ameri can Community and
to pre serve some of Califor nia's most outstanding ecological and
recreational resources," explained Stephan Volker, attorney for
the coalition. "The Air Pollution Control Board and Calpine now
have the opportunity to 'get it right' by fully disclosing and
addressing this pro-ject's profound environ-mental impacts. The
law demands no less," Mr. Volker con cluded.

Campgrounds ready for
Memorial Day Weekend

Most campgrounds on Modoc National
Forest will be open in time for the Memorial Day holiday.

Ash Creek, Lassen Creek, Plum Valley and
Emerson campgrounds are open at no charge. Mill Creek Falls, Upper
and Lower Rush Cre-ek, Willow Creek and Ho-ward's Gulch camp
grounds are open with a $6.00 fee per night. The fee for campsites
at Blue Lake campground is $7.00 per night.

Other areas on the Forest that are open
include the Poi son Flat trail to Clear Lake, Cedar Pass trail and
most reservoirs. Dispersed camp sites along Ash Creek are open and
equipped with por-table toilets.

Be prepared for winter conditions when
visiting these areas. Trail condi tions may vary so use cau tion,
and report any trail damage to a Modoc NF of fice. Campfire
permits are required and can be obtained at ranger district
offices and Forest headquarters.

It's a relaxing setting to renew old ac
quaintances or meet new friends when the Fort Bidwell Memorial Day
Barbecue wel comes the pub lic on Sunday, May 30 from 11:30 a.m. -
4:00 p.m. in the park surround ing the Ft. Bidwell Civic Hall in
Ft. Bidwell.

The creek side setting, with its tall
cotton wood trees, pro vides a shady area for visiting amid the
open air picnic ta bles. Always a popu lar event which draws visi
tors from far and near for the feast and fun, prize draw ings are
also part of the fun as are games of volley ball and horse shoes.

No matter what the weather, the event is
well re ceived and everyone seems to have a good time.

The serving of barbecued New York
steaks, chicken or hamburgers, plus baked potato, beans and salad
will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

The cost for adults will be $10;
children, (6- 12),$6. Children five and under served free when ac
compa nied by a paying adult.

At 1:00 p.m., join the games of
volleyball and horseshoes or purchase tick ets for the
drawings.

A drawing will be held late in the day,
for a hind quarter of beef, a beef fore quarter, all cut wrapped
and frozen, plus many other lo cally donated prizes. Win ners need
not be present to win. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5,
available at the entrance.

This year's event is being organized by
the Fort Bid well Civic Club. Civic Club members have faithfully
done the tremendous food preparation and serving over the years
and offered the use of their hall to help make the event happen
when they aided the very grate ful volunteers of the Ft. Bidwell
Fire De partment with the Department's barbecue each year. The
undertaking be came too much for too few to handle within the Ft.
Bid well Fire Department.

But, because it was deemed such a
success for 26 years, with its well-earned reputation for good
food, vis iting and fun, the Civic Club plans to keep the Memorial
Day Barbecue tradition go ing, with this now being their of ficial
event, starting with 1999. They are hop ing for a grand turnout
and in vite everyone to attend. A new addition this year will be
booths of crafted items for sale.

Students from New Pine
Creek will spend next week on the Oregon Coast

Students from State Line School in New
Pine Creek will tell you that school is a day at the beach. Next
week 25 of the school's 27 students (everyone from kindergarten
through eighth grade) from the two-room school will be spend ing a
few days and nights on the Oregon Coast.

Eleven of those 25 have never been to
the ocean before in their entire lives. They are es pecially ready
for it after spend ing the past semester studying the ocean and
the crea tures within it.

"After we've done all this work, we
finally get to see the ocean," student Amanda Waterman said.
"After a whole year we finally get the payoff."

Another student, Gary Buckland, has been
using his math multiplication project to figure out how many
hours, minutes and seconds are left until the bus leaves to start
the trip.

That will be at 7:00 a.m. on Monday. The
students, along with teachers Patti Carpenter and Connie Badgley
as well as eight other adults, will not return until
Friday.

Along the way they will see Jedidiah
Smith State Park, Harris Beach, Cape Blanco light house, a cheese
factory in Bandon, Bullard Beach, a rehabilitation center for
marine birds and mammals, Couquille Point, Cole River fish hatch
ery and Spirit of the Rogue Nature Center. The last activity on
the trip will be roller skating in Medford.

At many of the stops the students will
con tinue their stud ies, this time up close and with the help of
various experts. It won't just be a play trip.

Nights will be spend in YURTS, a
year-round type of tent available in the state parks on the Oregon
Coast. It's camp ing out while still having air mattresses,
heaters and elec tric ity.

Carpenter began planning this trip three
years ago with the State Line PTO and school site council. For the
past two years, the stu dents have done fund-raisers for the trip.
They have also received contributions from many area businesses
and groups.

The students are looking forward to the
trip for a variety of reasons. For example, Kaylee Widener said
she is excited about see ing the tidal pools that may contain
creatures such she has been studying such as starfish and sea
urchins.

Other students are looking for bigger
fish, so to speak. Whales and dolphins are in their migration
patterns at this time of year and the kids are hoping to get a
glimpse of some.

Capo Blanco Lighthouse is also a source
of curiosity. Adding to the suspense, Miranda Miura and Jessica
Strain have discovered in their research that the place is
supposed to be haunted. The legend is that whenever a group goes
on a tour of the lighthouse, they come back with one less person.
Miura and Strain are wondering who that one less person might
be.

Hopefully, the bus will return to New
Pine Creek with 25, rather than 24, students on board.

Wildflower walks set by
Native Plant Society

Looking for a way to break those winter
blues? How about a walk in the great out-doors?

Plan to take one or all the Wildflower
Walks sched uled this year, everyone is welcome to attend. Allison
Sanger, Botanist for the Modoc National Forest says that 1999
promises to be an amazing wild-flower year. These walks are given
in coordination with the Cali fornia Native Plant Society.

May 29-30, Saturday-Sunday (Memorial Day
Weekend) SURPRISE VALLEY SAND
DUNES, east of Eagleville, CA.
Fea turing Great Basin vegeta tion, in-cluding the only known
Nevada population of the rare Eriogonum pro ciduun, and a chance
for bighorn sheep sightings at Hayes Canyon. See an en demic
Galium at the foothills of the Warner Mountains. Camp out under
the full moon. Meet at Coun try Hearth Restaurant in Cedarville at
10:00 am Sat urday. Leader: Gary School craft, 257-0456.

June 12, Saturday SOLDIER CREEK CANYON. This trip was snowed out last year, but we'll
try it again, a little later! Walk around the unique volcanic
slopes north of Stough Campground and Cedar Pass. Expect to see a
California population of Eri ogonum prociduum, and Dimeresia
howellii. Meet at the Forest Service office in Alturas on Highway
299 at 10:00 am. Leader: Allison Sanger, 233-5811.

July 10, Saturday COLD SPRINGS MOUNTAIN. Visit an area that was burned under prescribed
conditions in 1993 to see rare species Iliamna bakeri, De-lphinium
stachydeum, and other surprises. Awe some views of the Great
Basin! Four-wheel-drive vehicles required. Meet at the Mad-eline
Cafe on High way 395 at 10:00 am. Leader: Mike Dolan,
233-4666.

July 31, Saturday UPPER STEVENS MEADOWS. Joi-nt trip with Lassen Land and Trails Trust to
a private meadow with a conservation easement. See a variety of
wet meadow and lodgepole forest wild-flowers. Meet at Bogard Rest
Area on High way 44 at 10:00 am. Leader: Kim Earll,
257-2151.

August 7-8, Saturday-Sunday
THOUSAND LA-KES WILDERNESS
BACK-PACK. About a three-mile
hike into Barrett Lake, and optional 5+ mile trek from there up to
Magee Peak to see rare alpine plants. Meet at the Forest Service's
Hat Creek Work Center on Hi-ghway 89 at 10:00 am. Sat-urday.
Leader: Beth Corbin, 257-2151.

Record news
summaries for May 27, 1999

Long Bell forest fire
in mop up stages

KFA files suit to
protect salmon

Memorial Day services
all set

Ft. Bidwell stages its
annual BBQ

Talented MHS students
in summer art

Duck Race tickets are
moving out

The Canby 'Blue Bomber'
keeps on writing

Long Bell fire in mop up
stages

The Forest Service's prescribed burn
that got out of control in the Long Bell region is now in the mop
up stages, accord ing to Information Officer Tom Lavaginio.

The fire was contained at 7 p.m. Tuesday
night. While 600 acres of the fire were planned in the prescribed
burn, it ended up charring another 600 acres outside the lines.
About 377 acres of the excess was private forest land owed by
Beatty and Associates.

Firefighting crews and engine continued
the mop up phase Wednesday and are reinforcing the firelines and
have instructions to extinguish any hot spot within 500 feet of
the fireline and unburned islands of fuel or vegetation. On
privately-owned lands within the firelines, the instructions to
the fire crews are to mop up 100 percent of the hotspots and
smokes.

Initial rehabilitation measures started
Wednesday by hand constructing waterbars on the firelines at 350
foot in tervals to control and channel water runoff from future
storms. About five miles of firelines have been constructed to
contain the Bell Fire.

Temperatures were expected to be a
little lower the next day or so and humidity will be slightly
higher which will aid firefighters.

According to the Forest Service,
emphasis has been placed on the protection of private lands and
the twin 500 KV power lines owned and managed by Pacific Gas and
Electric along the northwest edge of the fire.

The prescribed burn was initiated about
three weeks ago, and according to Lavaginio, winds may have fanned
some embers which started the new fire.

As of Tuesday morning, fire crews were
busy taking care of some hot spots in the northern part of the
fire. Those hot spots were picked up by an infrared camera flight
Monday night. Most of those hot spots were embers, not actually ma
jor flames.

Long Bell is west of Canby, some 25
miles south of the Lava Beds.

Federal, state and private agencies from
around the area have contributed personnel and equipment to the
fire, in cluding the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management,
California Department of Corrections, California Department of
Forestry, National Park Service, and the Oregon Department of
Forestry.

The official start of the 1999 fire
season begins May 31 in northeastern California.

KFA, others plan on suit to
protect salmon

A coalition of conserva tion and fishing
groups (and Native American tribes) have presented Bruce Bab bitt,
the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the federal Bureau of
Reclama tion with notice that the coalition intends to sue to
compel the federal govern ment to comply with key pro visions of
the Endangered Species Act.

At issue is operation of the Klamath
Irrigation Project by the Bureau of Reclama tion and the effects
these op erations are having on Coho salmon in Northern Cali
fornia's Klamath River. Once home to the third largest runs of
salmon on the West Coast, Klamath Ri-ver salmon have been in de
cline for decades. As a re sult, commercial, tribal sub sistence
and sport fishing for salmon has been severly curtailed for
several years in the Klamath River and in the ocean off Northern
Cali fornia and Southwest Ore gon.

Klamath River Coho salmon were listed as
"thr-eatened" under provi sions of the Endangered Species Act on
May 6, 1997. The letter to Babbitt and the agencies, alleges that
the Bureau of Reclamation is diverting water from the Klamath
Ri-ver without first having obtained a biological opinion from the
Marine Fisheries Service as re quired by the ESA. "We were
compelled to act because Coho salmon are being killed in the
Klamath River as a direct result of river manipulation by the
Bureau of Reclamation," claims Fe lice Pace, who works on salmon
issues for the Kla math Forest Alliance. As documen-tation, Pace
refer enced a May 7, 1998 letter from government biologists which
he says documents that young Coho salmon were stranded and killed
as a result of rapid changes in the release of water from Iron
Gate Dam. That dam is operated by Pacific Power but the amount of
water released is controlled by Reclama tion's federal
bureaucrats.

According to Wendell Wood, Klamath
Falls-based representative of the Oregon Natural Resources
Council: "Reclamation claims that they are taking care of their
responsibility to conserve threatened and endangered species, but
in the two years since Klamath River coho have been listed they
have failed to complete the most basic requirement of the
ESA."

KFA's Pace noted that Re-clamation's
disregard for salmon is hurting commu nities along the Klamath
River, California's North coast and the southwest coast of Oregon.
According to Pace, "these communities depend on the river and es
pecially on salmon. Salmon are part of the culture of the Klamath
Mountains; they provide livelihoods and a way of life for Native
Amer icans, fishermen, almost everyone in these communi
ties."

Michael Sherwood, from the San Francisco
Office of Earthjustice Legal Defense, an environmental law firm,
authored the letter from the conservation, fishing and tribal
organizations. "We hope Mr. Babbitt and the fed eral agencies will
heed our call and come into compli ance with the law," stated
Sherwood. Under provisions of law, those who seek to challenge
federal imple mentation of the Endan gered Species Act must no
tify the agencies which are alleged to be in violation 60 days
before filing a lawsuit. But ONRC's Wendell Wood hopes a lawsuit
can be avoided. "It is entirely fea sible for Reclamation to
co-mplete consultation dur ing the 60-day period," said Wood.
"They (Reclamation) can manage the water so that no salmon are
stranded. We hope they will do it," he added.

The Klamath Mountains straddle the
border of Cali fornia and Oregon and cor respond roughly to what
biol ogists call the "Northern California/Southern Oregon Coast
Coho salmon popula tion." The Klamath River drains the central
portion of the Klamath Mountains with the Rogue River to the North
and Trinity River to the South. The Klamath Irriga tion Project is
located par tially in Oregon and par tially in California. The
Project provides irrigation water to farmers, most of whom farm on
rich lands that were once marches and lake beds. The Project was
established in 1905 and be gan draining the vast Kla math Basin
wetlands for agriculture soon afterwards.

Remember Memorial Day
special services schedule

The public is encouraged to attend any
one of the ser vices, to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day
and give thanks to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice - their
lives - in the line of duty.

Services in observance of Memorial Day
will be con ducted in Alturas un der the Big Flag in the Plumas
Bank parking lot, Main St., Alturas, on Mon day, May 31 at 11:00
a.m.

Local veterans group will be hosting the
program and they encourage the public to at tend. A jet fly-over
from Kingsley Field, Klamath Falls, Ore., has been requested for
the Alturas service Monday. Veterans groups partici pating include
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled Amer ican Veterans and the
American Legion.

On the traditional Memorial Day, Sun
day, May 30 ser vices will be held at 11:00 a.m. at both the
Alturas Cemetery and the Cedarville Cemetery. Alturas Veterans of
Foreign Wars to Pete Christensen Post 3327 and Surprise Valley VFW
Post 7888 will conduct the services in their respective com
munities.

The VFW Auxiliary and Post 3327 will be
out this week, decorating the military ceme tery markers with the
white crosses and Buddy Poppies and U.S. flags. The cemeteries at
Davis Creek, Likely, Ft. Bidwell and Surprise Valley will be
decorated by folks who reside in those communities.

The 48 new flags, purchased by the VFW
and Disabled American Veterans in Alturas last year, are now being
flown flying along Alturas' Main Street, in honor of Memorial Day
weekend.

The creek side setting, with its tall
cotton wood trees, pro vides a shady area for visiting amid the
open air picnic ta bles. Always a popu lar event which draws visi
tors from far and near for the feast and fun, prize draw ings are
also part of the fun as are games of volley ball and horse shoes.

No matter what the weather, the event is
well re ceived and everyone seems to have a good time.

The serving of barbecued New York
steaks, chicken or hamburgers, plus baked potato, beans and salad
will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

The cost for adults will be $10;
children, (6- 12),$6. Children five and under served free when ac
compa nied by a paying adult.

At 1:00 p.m., join the games of
volleyball and horseshoes or purchase tick ets for the
drawings.

A drawing will be held late in the day,
for a hind quarter of beef, a beef fore quarter, all cut wrapped
and frozen, plus many other lo cally donated prizes. Win ners need
not be present to win. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5,
available at the entrance.

This year's event is being organized by
the Fort Bid well Civic Club. Civic Club members have faithfully
done the tremendous food preparation and serving over the years
and offered the use of their hall to help make the event happen
when they aided the very grate ful volunteers of the Ft. Bidwell
Fire De partment with the Department's barbecue each year. The
undertaking be came too much for too few to handle within the Ft.
Bid well Fire Department.

Because it was deemed such a success for
26 years, with its well-earned reputa tion for good food, vis
iting and fun, the Civic Club plans to keep the Memorial Day
Barbecue tradition go ing, with this being their of ficial event,
starting with 1999. They are hop ing for a grand turnout and in
vite everyone to at tend. A new addition this year will be booths
of craft items for sale.

Ft. Bidwell is located at the north end
of Surprise Valley.

Talented teens selected for
State Summer School for the Arts

It will be the first time two students
have been selected from Modoc County to partic ipate in the
California State Summer School for the Arts.

Alisha Cartner, a sopho more, selected
for the Visual Arts portion of the school is the daughter of
Richard and Sandra Cartner of Alturas. Jeran Brown, a junior, se
lected for the music portion of the school, is the son of Steve
and Teri Brown of Al turas. Both are students at Modoc High
School.

"The CSSSA selections are not based on
county popu lation, but purely based on the student's applications
and portfolios. We are pleased to have two Modoc students selected
for this ho-nor and fantastic arts trai-ning," offers Ken
Franklin, Modoc County Arts Council Director, who will award the
Governor's Arts Scholars Medallions to both students during a
Modoc High "Hi-ghlights Night" when all awards are pre sented at
the school.

On June 1 these students will be honored
for their creative talent as well as their acceptance into one of
the nation's leading sum mer arts programs. Support ing the need
to nurture the state's arts and entertain ment industries, the
Cali fornia State Legislation has declared June 4 as the thir
teenth annual California Arts Scholars Day.

CSSSA provides talented teenagers with a
unique op portunity to develop their artistic skills in a variety
of fields including animation, creative writing, dance, film and
video, visual arts, music and theater. The summer school offers
its students an extraordinary environment in which they are able
to explore their imagination and develop their craft through
artistic expression.

"Creative minds keep communities moving
for ward," says William A. Wise, chairman, president and chief
executive officer of El Paso Energy Corporation. "The California
State Sum mer School for the arts pro gram provides an excellent
opportunity for students in the arts to build on their cre ative
talents and strengths. El Paso is proud to support CSSSA in its
efforts to im prove and encourage our cultural environment. We
congratulate the program and its scholars for their hard work and
accomplish ments, and we look forward to another year supporting
this program."

Following an intense se lection process,
nearly 500 of the 1,275 applicants were chosen to participate in
the 1999 summer session. CSS SA's rigorous four-week summer
program, being held again this year at the California Institute of
the Arts in Valencia, is de signed to pave the way for talented
young people hoping to pursue careers in the arts and
entertainment indus tries.

The idea for the program began in 1985
when the State Legislature recognized a need for an effective
train ing program for up-and-coming artists in Califor nia, in
order to preserve the economic benefits the state derives from the
arts and entertainment industries. CSSSA has been an integral part
of this effort and is proud to be embarking on its thirteenth
year.

The school is funded by a unique
public-private part nership between CSSSA and contributors from
the private sector to the California State Summer School Arts Foun
dation.

Duck tickets moving like .
. . well ducks at hunting season

Last year's Great Pit River Duck Race
tickets sold out well before race day, and this year sales are
well ahead of that pace. Alturas Rotary advises people get their
ducks soon.

The Duck Race is held the Saturday
during Fandango Days over Alturas' Fourth of July weekend.

The tickets for the Duck Race are $25
each and top prize is a brand new 1999 Chevy 4x4 Stepside pickup,
on display at Alturas Tire. Second prize is a new fishing boat,
trailer and mo tor on display at J and S Roofing.

In addition, Larry Stafford at Village
Video, is donating five percent of his gross fireworks sales this
year to construction at the Youth Park.

For people who buy 10 ducks or more,
they'll get a chance at two ATVs. The first is a Arctic Cat 500cc
four-wheel-drive which is offerd by Rotary. Intermountain Farm
credit is donating Polaris 4x4 ATV back to Rotary for this year.
Both of those prizes are only in the Gold Crown category for those
people who purchase 10 or more ducks each.

In addition to the great prizes offered
during the Duck Race, each ticket book contains hundreds of
dollars in valuable coupons for the buyer.

On race day, the ducks are dropped into
the Pit River at the Estes Street Bridge and they float, bob and
weave their way west to the Main Street Bridge where they're
collected in order of finish. The owner of the first duck crossing
the line wins the truck and the other prizes are awarded in the
order the ducks finish. Each duck is numbered on the
bottom.

It's a small, antiquated, Smith Corona
that has been writing stories about local history and local folks
for 30 years," and then some".

It lives under Velma Mc Crary's dining
room table in her Canby home.

It listens to a scanner spit out current
events, waiting for it's weekly trip up to the top of the table to
feel its own er's hands telling it the "lat est" Canby news.

And the last time it nee-ded new ribbon,
there just wasn't one to be found!

"My first attempts at writ ing,"
explained McCrary, a lifelong Modoc County resi dent and well
known histor ical writer, "were right here in the Modoc Union High
School V-Mail News, where we wrote what was going on at the home
front, and even little gossip items about kids in school.

"We mailed the papers out to our
servicemen, and got letters back from them tell-ing us how much
they en joyed receiving the paper.

"Here in a 1946 issue," she pointed out,
"you can see where I was worried about the lack of pineapple and
cof fee on our grocery store she-lves. There wasn't any butter
either, and I wrote that all the cows must have gone on strike,"
she laughed.

One year later, after mar rying Jim
McCrary and moving to Canby, she began helping to write for The
Can-by Correspondent news pa-per.

"It was just community news," she
recalled, "what was going on, what people were doing, and lots of
fa vorite recipes. Those were my first newspaper experi ences,
when we had to make the old mimeographs and run them off on the
crank machine."

After continuing a writ ing career which
included articles for the Intermoun tain News, Modoc Record and
Sacramento Bee, Mc Crary still keeps Record readers abreast of
Canby news.

Her stories are typed on the same little
typewriter that accompanied her 6400 feet up to Happy Camp Lookout
Tower, where she worked 25 seasons as a Forest Service fire
lookout.

"Happy Camp was the first tower out
there in the Modoc National Forest," she explained, "I may not
have had every tree memorized, but I drove an old blue pickup, and
sure knew every hole in the road.

"My CB handle was "Blue Bomber", she
laughed, "and when I got off work, every body knew to watch out
for the Blue Bomber, because she was on the way home."

But home, or up in the tower, she wrote.

And she most likes to write about local
history, and local people who have played a part in the local
history. She has done numerous arti cles on people in the Big Val
ley and Canby areas.

"I mostly did general history, and did
some ge nealogical work too," she explained, "as you can see here
on this timeline. I gath ered it all up, and my granddaughter,
Genny, ma-de it up for me. I really love it," she added

She loves to write about people, their
lives, what kind of life they've had, their struggles to get ahead
and to raise a family.

"And you know," she noted, "It's just
about being friends. Friends are the most wonderful people in the
world.

"I did a story on an 80 year old mom one
year, and she talked about her life and raising her family, and
then sorrow crept into her voice as she talked about her daugh
ters who were deceased and gone.

"And then there was the Pope family,
early day set tlers in this area. They came, and the first years
they were here, the winters were so hard, and they just struggled
to get ahead.

"One winter there were a lot of deaths
in the area, and they took boards off the floors in their upstairs
rooms to build caskets for the burials, one of the deaths was
their three month old son. It was just to help their neighbors,"
she explained.

"My interest is just life in general,
whatever happened. I just empathize with people, saying, 'Hey, I
know what you're talking about.'

"You know," she contin ued, "I grew up
in a family that struggled. My grand parents came over in the
early days from Scotland, that was when they first came to Modoc
County.

"I didn't write things down when I was
young, and I didn't ask enough ques tions," she explained. "And
many times when I wanted to ask the questions, it was too late.
The persons were gone.

As far as talking to peo ple, "Oh I
enjoy it very much, very much," she chuckled. "It's just my na
ture. And my daughter takes after me," she laughed.

"I could sit and talk to somebody all
day long about events that have happened in Modoc County,
especially in the areas that I have lived in. I look at old
buildings, and think, "What would those old walls tell me," she
chuckled.

'If the walls of the Canby Hotel, and
the old White Cabin, could speak, they would tell of all the good
times that used to be had there' -- Velma

the Holloway band that played there. You
know," she laughed, "Swing and sway with Holloway!

"And that old building on the corner
there, it was a gro cery store from way, way back. If that store
could talk," she continued, "it wo-uld probably talk about the
mill days, when this was a really busy little town, and all the
people traded there.

"Most people would cha-rge from payday
to pay day, when you went to the store, paid your bill, and hoped
that you had some thing left over. Milk sold for 10 cents a quart,
and you bought gas where you traded the most," she recalled.

"And well, what I miss the most is how
we used to get out and visit more, and have more picnics, and more
community events than we do now. Nowdays, we sit at home, and talk
on the phone, and watch the TV. And I do lots of talking on the
phone!"

"And she's sure right about that,"
laughed daugh ter Margaret Sherer. "I've tried to get her to get
call waiting, but she thinks it's rude to be talking to someone
and have to say, 'Just a minute, I have to go to talk to somebody
else.'"

"If they want to talk to me, they can
just call back," her mother laughed, getting ready to pull out her
faithful little 30-plus-year-old-type writer for yet another
story.

June, 1999

Summaries
for June 3, 1999

Cattlewomen help feed
young minds

Supers say no to Modoc
Movie

Local high schools
graduate seniors

Youth Park field work
going well

Modoc Cattlemen host
field day

Class of '49
celebrating its 50th

CattleWomen help feed young
minds

This year, 118 first graders were
seeking shade from the sun, a major differ ence from the year
before, when students huddled in the cold during the Modoc Cat
tleWomen's First Grade Field Day.

The Junior Livestock Showgrounds in
Alturas provided a ranch-like set ting on a beautiful sunny May 27
for first graders from Arlington Elementary, Canby; Surprise
Valley El ementary, Cedarville and Alturas Elementary.

The Modoc County Cat tleWomen present
their an nual field day to acquaint first graders with aspects of
ranch life and agri culture.

The students were divided into groups to
visit stations including Beef By-products and Nutrition with Terri
Martinez; Braids and Irons with Jackie McGarva; Butter Churning
with Denise Gino chio; Horses and tack and Cowboys and roping with
Shane and Cori McGarva; Haying and equipment, plus cube and pellet
products from Alturas Ranches and Betsy Ingraham's milk cow
"Velvet" and cowdog "Ralph."

Students and chaperones were treated to
a hot dog lunch provided by the Cat tleWomen at the close of the
morning.

As a field trip follow-up and feedback
for the Cattle Women, an essay contest has been added this year.
The local essay winner re ceives a sweatshirt and es say submitted
to the Califor nia CattleWomen, which makes the class eligible to
win up to $500, notes Kim Valena, this year's local field trip
coordinator.

Modoc County Cattle Women who also
helped with the 8:30 a.m. - noon event included Lesa Dowdy, Jean
Bucher and Anni Derner.

County says no to the Modoc
Movie

The Modoc County Board of Supervisors
Tuesday said "no" to purchasing 100 copies of the Modoc Movie for
$2,000 by a 3-2 vote.

Supervisors Terry Williams and Ron
McIntyre voted in favor of purchasing copies of the 20-minute
movie, which would be used for promotion of the county, while Joe
Colt, Nancy Huffman and Pat Cantrall all voted no.

The county argued that purchasing the
movie was aiding a private operation.

The producer of the movie, local
attorney Barry Kinman, said he was amazed the county choose not to
invest in its fu ture. He said the city, the Native American
community, the business community and two chambers of commerce had
bought into the movie and he has raised approximately $10,000.
Kinman has raised those funds by selling copies of the movie for
$20 each.

Kinman, who has been at odds with the
board on issues in the past, said the supervisors' decision was
personal and they should have buried their personal opinions of
him and thought more about the county and the value of the movie.
Kinman went as far as to take the board a contract for their
purchase.

A short sample of the film has been
shown over cable tele vision's public access channel and Kinman
was presented the short clip to a wide range of organizations. The
short version of the movie has garnered good reviews and the film
is currently in final editing and production.

The film was done by a professional
cinematographer and director.

Kinman told Supervisors he would
guarantee delivery of the 20 copies and gave the board a personal
check of $2,000 that could be cashed if the movie was not
delivered on time.

Kinman is planning a July 3 premiere of
the Modoc Movie at the Niles Theater immediately following the
Fandango Days parade.

High schools set to
graduate seniors

Area students will participate in
commencement exer cises throughout the county this week and next
week, as fol lows.

Surprise Valley High School, Cedarville,
will graduate 14 seniors first on Friday, June 4 at 8 p.m. in the
Surprise Val ley High School Gymnasium, Cedarville.

Great Basin High School, Cedarville,
will graduate one senior classman Craig Hymer by presenting his
diploma on June 4 during the Senior Breakfast at 9 a.m. at
Surprise Valley High School.

Big Valley High School, Bieber, will
present diplomas to 28 senior students and one Gateway High School
student during commencement on Friday, June 4 in the Big Valley
High School Gymnasium at 8:30 p.m.

Warner High School, Alturas, will
present diplomas to four graduates at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8 at
Shirley Oxley Hall, Modoc High School.

Tulelake High School, Tulelake, will
graduate 31 seniors at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 10 at Tulelake
High School.

Work going very well on
Youth Park fields

The Alturas Rotary Clubs have raised and
spent over $100,000 on the construction of the Youth Park in
Alturas, but the job is far from over.

Those funds have been raised through the
Great Pit River Duck Race held the Saturday during Fandango Days
over Alturas' Fourth of July weekend. This year the race is held
July 3. The Duck Race nets about $30,000 each year.

The funds for the Youth Park have been
spent to build four new baseball/softball fields and full and
modified soccer fields. The chain link fence has been installed,
sprinklers installed, the grass planted and parking lots
built.

Starting this week, ground work will be
done on the in field areas of the fields, out side fences and
backstops will be built, the grass will be fer tilized and dugouts
are planned.

According to Rotary's Roger Dorris, the
club will be seeking bidders to construc tion eight 10 by 20 foot
dugouts this summer. Anyone inter ested should contact Dorris at
233-4351 before June 24.

The grass was planted last fall and is
coming along nicely, said Dorris. Some of the areas that may look
brown at the moment are the infield areas and those spots will be
cleared and replaced with a decomposed granite surface
soon.

Rotary expects the Modoc Youth Soccer
Leagues to be able to use the new facilities this fall.

Funds raised from this year's race will
be used to build dugouts and hopefully some retained to start
build ing the restroom and conces sion stand next summer. The year
2,000 Duck Race will also help offset the construc tion of those
facilities.

In addition to the athletic fields, the
funds have been used for the paved parking lot of West C Street
and the gravel parking lot in the middle of the park.

Tickets for the Duck Race are $25 each
and top prize is a brand new 1999 Chevy 4x4 Stepside pickup, on
display at Alturas Tire. Second prize is a new fishing boat,
trailer and mo tor on display at J and S Roofing.

In addition, Larry Stafford at Village
Video, is donat ing five percent of his gross fire works sales
this year to con struction at the Youth Park.

For people who buy 10 ducks or more,
they'll get a chance at two ATVs. The first is a Arctic Cat 500cc
four-wheel-drive which is offered by Rotary. Intermountain Farm
credit is donating Polaris 4x4 ATV back to Rotary for this year.
Both of those prizes are only in the Gold Crown cate gory for
those people who pur chase 10 or more ducks each.

In addition to the great prizes offered
during the Duck Race, each ticket book contains hundreds of
dollars in valuable coupons for the buyer.

On race day, the ducks are dropped into
the Pit River at the Estes Street Bridge and they float, bob and
weave their way west to the Main Street Bridge where they're
collected in order of finish. The owner of the first duck crossing
the line wins the truck and the other prizes are awarded in the
order the ducks finish. Each duck is numbered on the bot
tom.

Modoc County Cattle men's Association
will pre sent this year's Cattlemen's Spring Field Day on Sun day,
June 6, at the Warren Weber Ranch, 8 miles east of Alturas on
Parker Creek Road (County Road 56).

Beginning a 10:00 a.m. at the Weber
Ranch, there will be a tour discussing the ju niper clearing that
has taken place on the D J Ranch and riparian projects and
improvements that are oc curring on Parker Creek through the
Central Modoc R.C.D.

Intermountain Farm Cre-dit will sponsor
the So cial Hour beginning at 12 noon. Dinner will be served at
1:00 p.m. at a cost of $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children
6-12 years of age. After din ner the Modoc County Cat tleWomen
will announce their 1999 scholarship recipi ents.

Following dinner, Dan Macon, AgResource
Solu tions, will talk about "Find ing Common Ground Solu tions for
Agriculture and Natural Resources." Todd Swichert, CCA 2nd Vice
Pre-sident, will discuss what is happening in the Califor nia
Cattlemen's Associa tion, and Willy Hagge and Car-olyn Carey, MCCA
Di re-ctors, will give an update on current issues locally and
nationally affecting the beef industry.

Class of '49 plans for
50th

It has been too long a wait and is
definitely time to get together for a reunion for the Modoc Union
High School Class of 1949.

The Class of 1949's 50th year reunion
will be held July 2 and 3, 1999 at the Wagon Wheel Cafe in Al
turas. A buffet dinner is planned for July 2, with DJ music from
the 1930-60s and live music will also be available for dancing. A
buffet breakfast will be of fered July 3 and a class float is
expected to be entered in the July 3 Fandango Parade in
Alturas.

Dobbs is asking if anyone knows how to
get in touch with four class members: Joan McAdams, Joan An
derson, Mary Skelton and Louise Smith. Anyone with information may
reach Donna Dobbs at (530) 233-1943.

Record
news for June 10, 1999

Drennan pleads 'not
guilty' to eavesdropping

City discusses sale of
golf course

Junior board working
hard on show

Fruits of Duck Race
popping up at Youth Park

Main Street will get
help from youth

MHS Art students get
real reward

Obituaries:

Phillips

Stevenson

Forrest

Clark

Flournoy

Dannemiller

The
forecast: Mostly sunny skies
today with highs in the upper 70s. Look for fair weather with a
slight warming trend through the weekend. Lows could be in the 30s
and 40s.

Drennan pleads 'not guilty'
to eavesdropping

Modoc Joint Unified School District
Superintendent Craig Drennan entered a "not guilty" plea to a
felony eaves dropping charge Tuesday morning at his arraignment in
Modoc Court. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for July 19,
1:30 p.m., also in Modoc Court.

The case revolves around the placement
of a hidden video camera in the office of Modoc High School
Principal Duke Pasquini's office. Drennan allegedly ordered the
placement of that camera in the office.

Drennan has been on adminis trative
leave ordered by the Modoc Joint Unified School District Board of
Trustee since charges were filed in the case. Alturas Elementary
School Principal Randy Wise is filling in during Drennan's ab
sence.

The Trustees have not stated publicly
whether they will bring Drennan back to his position. The Modoc
Teachers Association has issued a statement saying Drennan has
lost the respect of the staff and there is a serious trust
problem. The issue may become moot if Drennan is convicted in the
case.

The hidden camera was discovered and
removed by the Alturas Police Department May 4 after it's
existence was re ported to them. Pasquini was not told the camera
was in his office. It was in the ceiling and the lens was covered
by a false smoke detector. The camera had been in operation for
about six months.

School officials reported to police that
the camera operated 24 hours per day, five days per week and was
turned off a few weeks ago. There are no charges pending against
anyone else con nected with the installation or operation of the
cam era.

Drennan has steadfastly denied any
wrongdoing in the incident, saying he had asked for and received
legal advice from the district's legal counsel saying the
placement of the camera was a permissible act.

Modoc District Attorney Tom Buckwalter
filed the felony eavesdropping charges following an investigation
into the issues. Buckwalter remains firm that Drennan acted ille
gally by placing the hidden camera in Pasquini's office.

Drennan has said he set up the camera
because he sus pected some sensi tive personnel information had
been leaked or files rifled through in Pasquini's office. He has
said that some of the in formation leaked concerned Pasquini's
records and files.

While Drennan has told staff that he in
stalled the camera for Pasquini's and staff protection, Pasquini
has said he would never have agreed to that camera. He said he cer
tainly would have liked to know it was there, but has stated he
would have asked Drennan to remove it from his private of
fice.

The video revealed no evidence that
anything was re moved or leaked from Pasquini's office and the
camera was turned off.

City dis cusses, takes no
action on golf course

The Alturas City Council discussed value
and options of Arrowhead Golf Course Tuesday night in closed ses
sion, but did not take any ac tion on the matter.

The city is considering a possible sale
of the golf course, but that action is sure to bring some protest
for city residents and golfers alike. Tuesday night the council
would not divulge any value that was discussed by their appraiser,
or what options on the course they are considering. The council
will have to make their options public once it comes time to take
any action on the golf course.

According to the City, there are people
in terested in pur chasing the nine-hole golf course.

In other business Tuesday night, the
city agreed in prin cipal to the Main Street Beautification
project offered by the Chamber and the Alliance for Workforce
Development and asked VeeAnn Ambers to come to the next meeting
for funding. That money would come from the Business Enhancement
fund of the city. That fund comes from a $10 fee as part of the
City's Business License fees.

In addition to the Main Street Project,
the council also asked Barry Kinman, a local attorney who is
producing the Modoc Movie to come back to the next meet ing for
funding for that pro ject. While the city has put money up for the
movie al ready, the council feels it is a worthwhile project and
may be willing to add to its support. Those funds would also come
from the Business Enhancement fund.

The Modoc County Board of Supervisors
last week chose not to fund the Modoc Movie project in what
appeared to be a personal af front to Kinman who has battled
Supervisors on several issues.

The council also discussed nuisance
abatement proceed ings and hopes to clean up a couple of areas in
the city in the near future where trash has collected.

Jr. Board prepares for busy
week

Next week's annual Junior Show will give
young people from all over Modoc County the chance to show off
animals they have been working with for months. It will also give
a much smaller group of young people the chance to prove skills
and capabili ties that they have also been working on for
months.

The Junior Show Board, consisting of
students from vari ous FFA and 4-H chap ters around the county,
has been meet ing since December and looking into everything from
ribbons, to announcers, to judges, to clean-up.

The Junior Show is set up and run al
most entirely by the 27 member Board, with very little adult
involvement.

"All I do is help them out when they ask
for it," 4-H Advisor Melinda Sandstrom said. "It's their show.
It's their deal."

The Junior Show is a big production.
Space and water are needed for hundreds of animals, not to mention
an audience, judges, etc. It is a huge amount of respon sibility
to hand over to a group of teens, but year-in and year-out they
get the job done.

"This is a big time of year for us,"
said Board President Nikki Allison, a senior at Modoc High. "A lot
of hard work goes into it."

Amber Knauss, also a Modoc senior and
the Board Vice-President added, "During the show, we're pretty
much there 24-7 for the whole week."

Things are so busy in fact, that
Allison, who had the Grand-Champion Steer last year, won't have an
entry this year.

"It's hard if you have animals and are
on the committee," Knauss noted. However, she will still have a
horse and sheep in the Show.

Besides organizational skills, the stu
dents also learn about compromise, and building consensus in order
to get things done.

"We're trying to satisfy everybody's
needs to make the Show work well," said Allison sounding like a
future politi cian. "A lot of times it involves working with
people to find a happy medium for everybody."

Steel poles are popping up all over the
interior of the new Youth Park fields in Alturas. Those posts will
make up some backstops and side fences for baseball and softball
fields.

Much of the work is being done by crews
from Devil's Garden Conservation Camp.

Funds to build new portion of the
athletic complex have been raised through the Great Pit River Duck
Race held the Saturday during Fandango Days over Alturas' Fourth
of July weekend. This year the race is held July 3.

Rotary expects the Modoc Youth Soccer
Leagues to be able to use the new facilities this fall. Whether
that happens de pends solely upon the grass.

Tickets for the Duck Race are $25 each
and top prize is a brand new 1999 Chevy 4x4 Stepside pickup, on
display at Alturas Tire. Second prize is a new fishing boat,
trailer and mo tor on display at J and S Roofing.

One of the really great prizes is a
Monitor Stove which has been donated by Ed Staub and Sons
Petroleum.

Larry Stafford at Village Video, is
donat ing five percent of his gross fire works sales this year to
con struction at the Youth Park.

For people who buy 10 ducks or more,
they'll get a chance at two ATVs. The first is a Arctic Cat 500cc
four-wheel-drive which is offered by Rotary. Intermountain Farm
credit has donated Polaris 4x4 ATV back to Rotary for this year.

In addition to the great prizes offered
during the Duck Race, each ticket book contains hundreds of
dollars in valu able coupons for the buyer.

Teenagers hanging out on Main Street is
nothing new in Alturas. But this summer some of them will be
spending time on Main Street with more of a pur pose than just
killing time.

One of the youth summer job crews from
the Alliance for Workforce Development will be focusing on helping
business owners make Main Street more attractive. The crew will be
sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.

All business owners have to do is buy
flowers, and the youth crew will take care of planting them in the
sidewalk flower barrels. The teens will even do the weeding and wa
ter ing from June 28 through August 13.

Where barrels don't exist, the crew will
build planter boxes if the business owner just buys the materials
to con struct them with.

Another project will be to plant the
vacant field between Plumas Bank and P.M. Liquor with flowers and
wild flowers.

"It helps the kids buy into having pride
in their town, and it helps the whole com munity because it
creates a more beau tiful Main Street for everyone," Alliance
Director VeeAnn Ambers said of the summer project.

Ambers said the Alliance is also seeking
donations to put wooden trash can receptacles along Main Street.
The City of Alturas has also agreed to provide money for the pro
gram. For more information on donations for this purpose call
233-7709.

Besides the youth crew mentioned above,
the Alliance will also have three other work crews. One will work
at the Modoc pool while another will work in Canby. The third crew
will provide a program of art and recreation for children.

MHS students Brown and
Cartner earn wonderful arts opportunity

Two very talented students from Alturas
will have the chance this sum mer to work with a variety of stu
dents and teachers who share their passions and abil ities in the
arts. Jeran Brown and Alisa Cartner were two of the 500 students
selected state-wide to partici pate in the California Summer
School for the Arts held at the California Institute for the Arts
in Valencia.

Brown just completed his junior year at
Modoc High, and will be focusing on vocal in struction at the
Summer School. He has been active in the Modoc Performing Arts
Theatre musi cals and plays, and even directed the MPAT Chorale
last year. Brown has also been in the North State High School
Honor Choir and the Northern California Regional High School Honor
Choir.

He currently studies under vocal
instructor Kevin Pent and sings in the MHS Choir under the
direction of Karen Siegel. He also studies piano with Donna Cooley
and plays trumpet in the MHS band.

In the future, Brown plans to attend the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music to major in Operatic and
Musical Theatre Performance. He would one day like to be part of
the San Francisco Opera or Metropolitan Opera, or be part of a
musical touring group.

"It's a very big opportunity," Brown
said of going to the Summer School. "I'm looking for ward to
working with other people who are in terested in the same areas I
am."

Cartner said she is also excited to
"work with the best" and "meet new people" when she goes to
Valencia. She has just completed her sophomore year at Modoc
High.

Cartner's specialty is painting and draw
ing, with watercol ors being her favorite medium. She said she
first discovered her affinity for water colors while taking a
class in Redding about three years ago.

"For me it's a really easy medium to
work in," she said. "I like the way the picture comes together,
the transparency of it."

She has since studied with Margot Curtis
and Ann Wise with the result that she has re ceived the "Best of
Show" award at the Modoc County Fair three years in a row.

After graduating MHS in two years,
Cartner hopes to at tend Otis College of Art and Design in Los
Angeles, and learn how to use her skills in the fashion and
advertising in dus tries.

Both Brown and Cartner said they wished
to express thanks to the many friends, family members and teachers
who have helped them reach this point.

Obituaries:

Neal Phillips

A man who for decades championed the
future of Alturas and Modoc County, Neal Phillips, died June 2,
1999 in Hemet Hospital (California) at the age of 79.

Mr. Phillips was a long-time businessman
in Alturas and was a City Councilman for 18 years and Mayor of
Alturas for 10 of those years. He also served as a Modoc County
Supervisor four years. He was a 59-year resident of Alturas and a
15-year "snowbird" at Heritage RV Park in San Jacinto, CA.

Mr. Phillips is well known for his
steadfast and vigorous promotion of the city and the county. He
was always concerned and worked for the economic well being of the
area and its people. He was a strong supporter of youth activities
and sports of all kinds.

He was born in Savannah, Georgia January
28, 1920 and came to Modoc County in the Civilian Conservation
Corps, CCC, at the age of 17.

At that time, when a person could find a
job, he could be released from the CCC's. He got his first job as
a dishwasher at the Niles Hotel and worked up to the position of
cook. In December, 1940, he started working for the Alturas
Furniture Store and worked there for eight years.

Soon after his arrival in Alturas, Mr.
Phillips met Jewel Cannon, and after a year-and-a-half courtship,
they were married May 16, 1940. In May, they celebrated their 59th
an niversary.

In 1944 Mr. Phillips was drafted into
the U.S. Army and spent two years in Europe with the 29th Infantry
Division and was in the famous "Battle of the Bulge". He returned
home as a Corporal and went back to work at Alturas Furniture
Store.

In 1942, their first son, Richard Neal,
was born and in 1949, second son Kenneth Andrew was born.

In 1951, Neal and Jewel and John and
Jane McKernan purchased Western Auto. Five years later the
Phillips bought out the McKernans and changed the name to Phillips
House of Fine Furniture. Mrs. Phillips operated the furni ture
store while Neal was out politicking until they retired in
1991.

Mr. Phillips was a long-time member of
the Alturas Volunteer Fire department, a past president of the
Alturas Rotary and Lions Clubs. He was also a member of the
Alturas Elks Lodge, Modoc County Sheriff's Posse and a past
president of the Modoc County Fair Board. He also just concluded
his position as President of the Heritage Ranch Board of
Directors. He was also the 19th District Commander of the Veterans
of Foreign Wars.

Mr. Phillips attended school only
through the third grade when he had to go to work to help support
his mother and sis ters. His family is very proud that he did not
neglect his edu cation and spent a lot of time self-educating
himself. He took many correspondence courses and obtained a Life
Time Teaching Certificate from the State of California to teach
Business and Public Relations. Governor Pat Brown appointed Mr.
Phillips to the California State Recreational Commission for a
four-year term.

He was also a member of the Modoc Tribe
Ride Board of Directors, a businessmen and ranchers ride of
approxi mately 160 men which lasts for four days. Neal and his two
sons and grandson are the second group of third generations to
participate in the ride.

He loved to ride horseback, play golf,
read and spend lots of time with his family and friends. He also
enjoyed travel ing with his brother-in-law Delwon and
sister-in-law Gloria.

The Phillips attended the Christian Life
Assembly of God in Alturas and the Assembly of God in San
Jacinto.

Mr. Phillips is survived by his wife,
Jewel, of San Jacinto; a son, Dick, and daughter-in-law Judy of
Bakersfield; son, Ken, and daughter-in-law, Joy, of Alturas;
brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Delwon and Gloria Cannon,
Alturas; five grandchildren Christy, Tracy and Todd Phillips, Dawn
and Mike Cummings; one great-grandchild, Steele Gresen; two step
brothers, Bob and Bill; and a step sister, Debra Butler. He is
also survived by a "whole bunch of friends" in Alturas and at
Heritage Ranch. Two sisters, Mattie Treadwell and Avalue Treadwell
pre ceded him in death.

A Celebration of Life service was held
at Heritage Ranch Clubhouse, San Jacinto, 3 p.m. June 5.

The family suggests any donations be
made to the Neal Phillips Scholarship Fund, Plumas Bank, 510 N.
Main Street, Alturas, Ca. 96101.

Samuel Elwood
Stevenson

Life-long Modoc resident Samuel "Sam"
Elwood Steven son passed away at his Cedarville, Calif. ranch on
June 6, 1999. He was 74 years old.

Graveside services will be held at the
Cedarville Cemetery on Saturday, June 12 at 3:00 p.m. The Rev. Ben
Zandstra will officiate.

Sam was one of 10 chil dren born to
Joseph W. Stevenson and Emma Marty Stevenson. The family had moved
from Big Valley to Malin, Oregon for a short time. Sam was born
May 16, 1925 in Malin, Ore. The family moved back to Big Valley
where he grew up and attended school.

He worked on ranches in the Likely area
prior to coming to Surprise Valley where he worked as a cowboy for
the Bare Ranch and for his brother Melvin Stevenson on the Four
Star.

He met and married neighboring rancher
Dona Fae Stanley on October 3, 1948 in Cedarville. They ranched as
a team until her death in 1994. The couple had four
children.

"Sam loved fat cattle and to ride a good
horse. Secondary to a saddle horse, he loved draft horses and like
to work them. He had lots of friends, young and old and enjoyed
peo ple," says friends and relatives.

He is survived by his children Rick
Stevenson of Alturas; three daughters Dige Cook and son-in-law Wes
Cook of Cedarville; Sammy Cook of Eagleville, Gae Quigley and
son-in-law Carl Quigley of Dillon, Montana; and grand daughter
Stacy Lynn Cook of Cedarville; brothers Joe Stevenson of
Cedarville, Wayland Stevenson of Adin, sis ters Nettie Jerkiwicz
and Nonnie Niles of Sacramento, Wanda Huggins of Merced.

He was preceded in death by his parents;
brothers Russell "Hap," Melvin "Cheese," and Eddie; and sister
Juanita Mulkey.

The family requests any memorial
donations be made to the Surprise Valley Hospital, P.O. Box 246,
Cedarville, CA 96104.

Georgine Forrest

Georgine H. "Gina" Forrest of Alturas
passed away on June 7, 1999 in Red ding, Calif., a day following
her 67th birthday.

Services will be held on Friday, June 11
at 2:00 p.m. at Kerr Mortuary Chapel in Alturas. Burial will be on
XL Ranch Reservation Cemetery. Friends and fam ily will gather at
Federated Church in Alturas, follow ing the graveside
service.

Born Georgine Hunt in Adin, Calif. on
June 6, 1932, she had made Modoc her home for 52 years where she
and husband Norman J. Forrest reared their four children Barbara,
Nathaniel, Michael and Max Forrest.

Mrs. Forrest was a good wife, mother,
grandmother, friend and homemaker and had an inward beauty that
many of her friends and all her family knew. Her husband Norman, a
Native American Evangelist says, "My own words fail me to describe
her inward beauty. I have simply turned to the Book of Proverbs:
31: 10-31: 'Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far
above rubies. Strength and honor are her clothing and she shall
rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in
her tongue is the Law of Kindness. She looketh well to the ways of
her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children
arise up, and call her Blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth
her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them
all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that
feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of
her hand; and let her own works praise her in the gates.'

Mrs. Forrest is survived by her husband
Norman Forrest of Alturas; their four children; two grandchildren
Rose Soares and Michelle Forrest; great-grandchildren Margo, Renee
and Kiersten; son-in-law Russell Spencer and grandson-in-law
Micheal Soares; many friends and fam ily members in Oregon and
Alturas. Her grandchild April Pauline Forrest preceded her in
death. Contributions in her memory may be directed to Norman
Forrest, P.O. Box 1731, Alturas, CA 96101.

Harry V. Clark

Harry V. Clark, a resident of Alturas
for the past 24 years, passed away on May 20, 1999 while taking a
walk near his home. Harry was born in San Leandro, Calif. on
August 24, 1925.

He worked in the lumber industry as a
timber faller in Weed and Forest Hill, near Auburn, Calif. until
1973, when he suffered a serious heart attack and could no longer
work.

Mr. Clark was a World War II veteran and
fought in Germany with the 14th Ar mored Division. He was awarded
two Purple Hearts and many other service medals. He was a life mem
ber of the Veterans of For eign Wars, Post 3327 in Al turas,
Disabled American Veterans and American Le gion. Mr. Clark was one
of the veterans instrumental in the establishment of the "Big
Flag" on Alturas' Main Street.

He is survived by a son Steven Clark,
daughter-in-law Wylene and grandsons Kevin and Jason, all of
Granite Bay, Calif. and a daughter Christy Hamel and son-in-law
Richard Hamel of Likely.

At Mr. Clark's request, there was no
service. He re quested to have his remains scattered at a special
place in Siskiyou County where he spent most of his younger life.
He loved to hunt and fish and enjoyed the outdoors. He will be
greatly missed by his family and friends.

Myra L. Flournoy

Myra Flournoy 73, died in her home in
Fresno, Califor nia on April 2, 1999.

Myra was born in Kingsburg, California,
January 7, 1926. After high school she attended Nursing School in
San Francisco, starting her nursing career in 1947. She moved to
Cedarville, California where she married Jack Flournoy in 1959.

Myra was active with organizations for
the handicapped and Eastern Star. She worked many years at the
Cedarville Hospital before helping Jack with the family
store,Flournoy's Market.

She is preceded in death by a son
Charles Flournoy. She is survived by husband John W. Flournoy and
children Bruce Flournoy of Bakersfield, Johnny Flournoy of
Montana, Nancy Doughty of Montana, Lu Tickle of Idaho, grandchil
dren and great grandchildren.

The family request that donations be
made to organiza tions for the handicapped or Special Olympics in
Myra's memory.

Please join friends and family Saturday,
June 19 at 12:30 p.m. at the Likely Cemetery to "rejoice in the
memory of Orlean Coffman Dannemiller."

Born April 23, 1908 in Likely,
California, it is unknown whether Orlean first learned to walk or
to ride a horse. She is survived by her sister Mona Melville of
West Virginia, who claims that "Orlean stuck to the back of a
horse like a fly to flypaper."

An agile, skilled daredevil of a
horse-woman, she was once offered a job as a bareback rider in a
traveling circus. Since she was a minor, her father, Alfred Thomas
Coffman, forbade it, but that didn't stop Orlean from showing off
her equestrian tricks to her friends and family at outdoor
picnics.

While attending grade school in Oakland,
California, Orlean's talents as an artist began to flourish. She
became especially noted for her beautiful work with pastels. This
ability to draw and paint served her well when, as a young woman,
she journeyed to New York City in search of adventure. She found a
good job there in the production department of an advertising
firm, where she designed and illustrated book jackets and covers.

Despite this good fortune, Orlean became
homesick and returned to California to work for a real
estate/construction firm in Gilroy. She was a phenomenally fast,
accurate typist and a valued bookkeeper. Her abilities as an
artist were useful there as well, as she also drafted plans for
many beautiful homes in central California. Orlean was extremely
proud of these homes.

Equestrian, artist, draftsman - Orlean's
talents did not end there. She was a great cook famous for her
light bread, cakes, cookies and gourmet dishes. She always kept
her hands busy, winning many awards at county fairs for her
needlework and crocheted tablecloths and afghans. "I think of her
often as the supreme family heirloom maker. She once made me a
life-size rag doll that was bigger than I was. She made one for
each of my two sisters as well, and we all have many examples of
her beautiful handwork," says niece Sheryl Coffman Larson.

"A very pretty young woman, Orlean bore
a striking resemblance to Bette Davis, with her enormous eyes. I
wonder if her life was any less dramatic, adventurous, courageous,
talented, glib, intelligent, generous, funny--these are the
qualities that I admire most about my "Auntie O". These are the
qualities that made her so very popular."

Record
news for June 17, 1999

County settles deputy's
sex bias lawsuit

Fitch awarded bid on
city street project

Good weather
compliments junior show

Macbeth opens this week
at Niles

Little Mr. and Miss
Fandango contest set

Modoc unemployment dips
to 8.7%

County settles in jail hir
ing sexual discrimi nation case

Modoc County has settled and dropped its
appeal in the sexual discrimination case filed by former Deputy
Danyiel Johnston against the Modoc County Sheriff's
Department.

According to Johnston's attorney Paul
Arons, of Redding, the settlement reached May 13 pays Johnston
$328,000. On June 9, the fed eral judge awarded Johnston attorney
fees in the amount of $355,000. The settlement alone, not counting
all attor ney fees to defend itself and the sheriff, cost the
county $638,000. Much of that total will be paid through the coun
ty's in surance policy. According to Arons, Johnston has been
paid.

County auditor Judi Stevens said she
hasn't sees the full award yet and isn't sure how much the county
will be liable for and how much of the settlement will be covered
by insur ance.

"That's a lot of money to lose when all
the county had to do to avoid the lawsuit was to hire Johnston as
a deputy," said Arons. "She would much rather have avoided this
suit and gone on as a deputy in Modoc but the county forced her
hand."

A jury in Federal Court in Sacramento
Sept. 22, 1998 awarded Johnston $300,000 in damages, broken down
as fol lows: $110,000 for past wage loss; $90,000 for future wage
loss; $100,000 for general damage. The trial started September 8,
1998 in Sacramento and was wrapped up Sept. 21.

Modoc County was repre sented by then
District Attorney Hugh Comisky and Sheriff Bruce Mix was de fended
by Paul Coble, an at torney from Long Beach. Mix was not held per
sonally liable for payment of the dam ages, but was found guilty
by the jury in the same areas as the County and Sheriff's
Department. The county and its insurance carrier opted to appeal
that decision, but ended up with the settlement this month.

In the original case, the jury found
that Johnston would have been hired as a full time employee of the
Modoc County Sheriff's Office, but for the gender-spe cific jail
hiring pol icy.

The jury also found that the County of
Modoc, Modoc County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Bruce Mix dis
criminated against Johnston in employment decisions on the basis
of her gender.

Finally, the jury found that the County
of Modoc, Modoc County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Mix
retaliated against Johnston for com plaining about her alleged dis
crimi natory treatment or for pursing the lawsuit.

According to Arons, in January, 1998,
Johnston re quested unpaid time off from the department until the
law suit was over. He said Mix immediately suspended her peace
officer powers and took her badge and gun.

According to Mike Maxwell in September,
the county's insurance (Modoc be longs to a self-insured group)
will cover the general dam ages, the future wage loss and attor
ney's fees, if awarded. The county, he said, would be liable for
the $110,000 in back wages.

An April 1, 1997 decision of Judge David
F. Levi, in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, ruled that the
Modoc Jail's long standing policy that females guard only fe males
and males guard only males violates the U.S. Constitution and the
fed eral Civil Rights Act.

The issue was brought to light when
Johnston filed suit claiming discrimination against the hiring
policies. She claims she was origi nally hired in 1992 to fill the
next available patrol position in the Modoc's Sheriff Office. She
continued to work part-time in the jail, and claims several men
were hired to full time po sitions during the time she's been
employed. She claimed many were not as qualified.

Modoc County Sheriff Bruce Mix main
tained he was fol lowing state law which pre vents deputies from
searching inmates of the opposite sex in the gender-specific
hiring practices and in no way dis criminated against Johnston.

He admitted that he was hiring gender
specific for the jailer jobs, but felt he was do ing so in
accordance with state law and in light of a tight budget.

Arons said the practice of hiring female
patrol or jail of ficers is common through out the state and the
ruling is sued by Judge Levi brought Modoc into modern
times.

Sheriff Mix maintains his gender-spe
cific hiring policy was in response to section 4021 of the state
Penal Code which says, in part, that it's "unlawful for a jailer,
deputy . . . to search the person of the opposite sex or to enter
into the room or cell oc cupied by any prisoner of the opposite
sex, except in the com pany of an employee of the same sex as the
prisoner."

Mix argued that his policy protects the
rights of prisoners in local detention facili ties who have been
arrested but not yet con victed of crimes. Therefore, he said,
they have not sacrificed their rights to privacy. Additionally,
said Mix, if he is required to follow the ruling it will mean an
in crease in personnel at the jail. That's one thing, he said, the
budget can not handle.

Other jail and sheriff's of fices in the
north state have fe male jailers or deputies who they say do
routinely "pat down" male inmates or sus pects.

Fitch will do city street
project

Fitch Sand and Gravel of Alturas was
awarded the bid June 4 to repair about 4.5 miles of damaged
Alturas city streets.

According to City Public Works Director
Stacy Chase, the work will start after July 4 and will be
completed by September 20.

"The City is very pleased that a local
contractor was the low bidder," Chase said. "The contract will
enable him to provide employment to local residents and will be a
boost to the city's overall economy. We also believe that because
the contractor is local, he will have additional incentive to make
sure the city gets a first class job."

The streets included in the new project
are streets that were severely damaged by storms in 1993 and came
under a Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, pro
gram.

Chase said most of the streets will be
rehabilitated by re moving the existing street and replacing it
with a new street consisting of six inches of base and two inches
of asphalt.

The exceptions to that method will be
West C Street be tween Fourth and Eighth and East Street between
Fourth and Highway 395. Those streets will be repaired then
overlaid with pavement fabric and two inches of asphalt. The new
streets should provide 10 years of reasonable service life with
minimal maintenance, said Chase.

Maps of the streets to be repaired under
this project are available at City Hall. The street projects are
scattered throughout the city but include the damages sections of
West, Mill, several on the east side and northwest corner and some
north of 12th street.

Chase said the project should manage to
repair most of the worst streets in Alturas. Another project
scheduled for next summer will do major work on Carlos and Warner
Streets.

"This is a culmination of an effort that
began in 1993 to repair the streets damaged by the storms of that
year,' Chase recalls. " The area was declared a disaster area by
FEMA and some funding was made available to the city for repair.
The repair method consisted of overlaying the subject streets with
one inch of asphalt concrete without provisions for pot hole
repair, tack coat or leveling course work. Over the past five
years, the city has been appealing the construction method to
FEMA."

FEMA held the position that the city had
the responsibility to repair the streets to a condition suitable
for the overlay. In order to get that done, the city would have to
reconstruct the streets prior to placing the one-inch overlay and
would also have to add another inch. The city did not have
available funding to complete the work and that was the subject of
the appeal to FEMA.

"In October, 1988, the state funded
cities to do local street rehabilitation," said Chase. "By using
some of those funds, in addition to the FEMA funds, the city was
able to design a project which should result in some of the best
streets in town."

Chase also said that since the Fitch bid
was below the en gineer's estimate for the project, the city will
be investigat ing the possibility of adding additional streets to
the project.

Pick up maps of the project at City
Hall, or for more in formation contact the Public Works Department
at 233-2377.

MHS has new 2000
principal

Modoc High School has a new
principal for the class of 2,000.

John Nichols, of Fallbrook, California
ac cepted the prin cipal's posi tion offered by the Modoc Joint
Unified School District Board of Trustees this week.

Nichols has held a prin cipal's position
in the past and his latest position was as a vice-principal.
According to MJUSD's Randy Wise, Nichols comes to the district
with administrative and class room experience.

Fallbrook is in Southern California, not
far from Temecula. Nichols re places Duke Pasquini who retired
this year.

Great weather to compliment
an outstanding show

The weather couldn't have been better
for the 51st Annual Modoc Junior Live stock Show and Sale. 4-H and
FFA members turned out for the Horse Show this past Monday and
should be commended for their great performances.

The High Point winners in the
Performance Division this year are Emily Kelly, Providence 4-H in
Adin, for the Senior Section, Junior Section, Elizabeth Younger
and Stacy Parnow in the Novice Section, both from the Alturas New
Pioneer 4-H Club.

This year the Junior Show Board added a
Novice sec tion for the Gymkhana classes, with buckles being
awarded to the High Point winners.

On Tuesday, the weather continued to be
gorgeous with a nice breeze to cool things off. The day moved
along quickly with members start ing the morning off with the
Rabbit Market Classes. Zeke Bonham of Eagleville 4-H won the Grand
Champion Fryer Pen of Three, with Jodie Jones of Cedarville 4-H
winning Reserve Cham pion. Emily Kelly of Provi dence 4-H earned
Grand Champion Single Fryer with Megan Thompson of New Pioneer 4-H
taking home Reserve Champion. Earn ing Best of Show in the Rab bit
Division this year was Ashley Thompson, Lookout 4-H, and Reserve
in Show went to Sara Teuasher of Cedarville 4-H. Ashley Thompson
also received the High Point Award.

On Thursday members will be showing
beef, sheep, and swine in Market and Breeding classes, and on
Friday the show will con clude with showmanship classes starting
at 8:00 a.m., the Alturas Rotary barbecue at 3:30 p.m., an awards
cer emony begins at 4:30 p.m. with the Sale following at 5:30
PM.

Macbeth opens
tonight!

Many weeks of re hearsal will payoff
tonight at 7:30 as the cur tain goes up on MPAT's production of
William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The play will run the en tire
weekend at the Niles Theatre. It plays at 7:30 tonight, Friday and
Saturday. There will be a Sunday matinee at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are
$6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors.

Although the play is set long ago in
Scotland, its themes of political ambition, arrogance, remorse and
indi vidual charac ter are very much relevant to America in
1999.

Gerry Gates will play the title role as
well as direct the production. His wife, Nancy North-Gates, will
also be his stage wife as Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth frequently seeks the counsel of
three witches, played by Karen Hays, Marnie Atkins and Barbara
Sykes. They predict that Macbeth will become King of Scotland, and
he does - that is after killing King Duncan, played by Larry
Shippen. This eventually leads Macbeth into a rivalry with
Duncan's son Malcolm, played by Jeran Brown, and Macduff, a
nobleman played by Craig Flournoy.

Next weekend, the produc tion will move
to Cedarville for two shows in the garden next to the Country
Hearth. The play begins at 7:30 on Saturday, June 26, and at 3:00
on Sunday, June 27.

Little Mr., Miss Fandango
wanted for coming contest

Boys and girls, ages three to
six-years-old, who have been residents of Modoc County for at
least one year, are invited to enter the an nual Little Mister and
Little Miss Fandango contest .

The chosen 1999 Little Mr. and Miss
Fandango will fol low the tradition of riding in the Fandango Days
parade in Alturas on Saturday, July 3 for the local Fourth of July
celebration.

Applications are now available at the
Alturas Chamber of Commerce of fice, open Monday through Friday at
522 So. Main Street. All completed appli cations should be
returned to the Chamber office by the deadline June 24, 1999 at
4:30 p.m. There is no entry fee.

All contestants will be asked to attend
the contest on Saturday, June 26 at 11 a.m. at the A.C.T. Niles
Theater, Main Street, Alturas.

Contestants are asked to wear clean,
comfortable clothing. Should the child have a talent he or she
would like to perform, whether a poem, joke, song or dance, a
three-minute limit will be allowed during the contest for such
displays. Only one child per family may enter.

Children entering must be
three-years-old by June 1 and not over age six by July 4,
1999.

For further information please call
Alturas Chamber of Commerce at 233-4434.

Modoc jobless rate down to
8.7%

Modoc's unemployment rate dipped to 8.7
percent in May, down from April's 11.9 percent as the seasonal job
outlook improved. In May last year, the county's jobless rate was
at 10.6 percent.

The state unemployment rate for May was
4.9 percent and the national jobless rate was 4.0 percent.

The 8.7 percent puts Modoc as the 41st
out of 58 counties as far as highest unemployment. Siskiyou
county's unem ployment rate for May was 9.1 percent and Lassen's
was at 6.4 percent.

Record
news summaries for June 24, 1999

Alturas Mill chosen for
pilot project

Indian Gaming Casino
set to open near Alturas

Modoc median income
ranks 53rd in state

Fandango '999 has full
plate of fun

City puts up bucks for
Main

Junior show a big
success

Veterans grateful for
AMVETS van gift

Obituaries:

Neeley

Huff

Garrett

Alturas Mill Site awarded
pilot program funding

Good news came to Alturas this week as
the Alturas Mill Site was chosen as one of six closed mill sites
in the state as a pilot site for potential economic development
and future in vestment.

According to County-City Planner Scott
Kessler, the award of this project is a major step toward economic
devel opment of the mill site. Kessler made application for the
pro ject and said the state was very impressed with the site as
well as the effort by the city.

"When their representatives came to tour
the site they were very impressed that some of the council people
were actually out doing physical labor at the site," said Kessler.
"Overall, they were pleased with Alturas and the effort al ready
put into the railroad museum and school project."

Governor Gray Davis said the six sites
will receive a va riety of assistance ranging from environmental
site as sessments to community planning efforts. Such programs,
said Davis, will pave the way toward luring job-creating projects
to communities that have few industrial-zoned prop erties
available for redevelopment.

"I believe the pilot project will open
up a whole area of other opportunities for agencies to help with
the development of the site," said Kessler. He said the pilot
project will deal with all environmental aspects of the site, not
just hazardous substance, but also wildlife, plants, archaeology
and so on. Once finished, the mill site could get a clean bill of
health. That clean report, said Kessler, would go a long way in
pro moting the mill site and offering incentives to business de
velopment.

On Monday, Kessler and city councilmen
George Andreasen and Jack Ochs attended a workshop of the project
in Redding. They came away from that conference with re newed
vigor and hope for the future.

"What we were told is this could be the
start of very good things for the community," said Kessler. "It's
my feeling that once we get past the initial environmental
aspects, there will be money available for development. I know the
council is dedicated to working hard on the project. This pilot
project will provide a lot of expertise and necessary
study."

The six closed mill sites chosen for the
pilot program in clude Alturas, Forest Hill in Placer County,
Quincy and three in the Crescent City area.

The program is a joint federal and state
effort, led by the Trade and Commerce Agency. It also includes
cooperative efforts of the California Environmental Protection
Agency, Department of Toxic Substance Control, USDA-Rural
Development, US Department of Commerce-Economic Development
Administration, USDA-Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers,
the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the California
Department of Housing and Community Development.

The former Alturas Mill site under study
includes 103 acres with two-thirds of the project proposed for
development as a railroad museum and school for repair and mainte
nance of railway equipment. The railroad school project is well on
its way to fruition said Kessler.

The closed mill project is funded with a
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Grant, and
matching state contributions. The Mill Reuse Pilot Program's
approach to redevelopment is based upon a grow ing body of
Brownfields philosophy and experience that sup ports the necessary
commitment and partnership of owner and community to successfully
reuse a property.

Indian Gaming Casino set to
open July 15 near Alturas

A new Indian Gaming Casino is sched uled
to open at the Alturas Rancheria July 15. The fact that it was
coming was kept very quiet until this week.

Plans are to start with a smaller tempo
rary facility and if the casino proves suc cessful, a bigger
permanent structure will be built. Initially, the casino will be
housed in about 2,100 square foot modular and to tal usable space
will be about 3,000 square feet. There will be between 60 and 100
gam ing devices and a couple of card tables, ac cording to Tom
Sperling, the developer of the project.

Just what types of gaming machines will
be used at the casino will not be known until the California
Supreme Court issues a ruling on Proposition 5's constitutional
ity. That initiative supporting Indian gambling in the state,
passed by a wide margin but has been challenged in the court
system. Sperling is hoping that deci sion comes in the very near
future.

The casino will be owned and operated
under the Alturas Rancheria tribal coun cil. Paul Del Rosa is the
tribal chairman, who according to Sperling, insisted that as much
of the construction and related costs be spent locally. And most
of the subcon tracting work has been performed by local companies,
including the plumbing, the carpet,. the road work and paving and
construction of several items.

In addition, said Sperling, the 15 to 20
jobs offered will be filled with local indi viduals. He is now
working with Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc.'s VeeAnn
Ambers and Ike Richardson of the Employment Development
Department. According to Sperling, the fa cility is an equal
opportunity employer that will not give preference to any race.
Jobs offered include cashiers, secretary, secu rity, and
more.

The casino will have largely electronic
gaming -- videopoker and the like -- and will provide no alcohol
service. It will have food service, but Sperling says that will
probably be contracted out to local restaurants. If the initial
Casino proves successful, a larger facility would be built which
would include more gaming ma chines, tables, Bingo and a place for
live entertainment.

In addition to allowing local folks a
place to recreate, Sperling said the impetus will be to stop those
travelers on US 395 and SR 299 and get them to spend the night in
Alturas.

"We plan on working very closely with
Alturas motels and restaurants to get peo ple to overnight here,"
said Sperling. "We'll be marketing the casino well, but we also
plan on marketing Alturas in a big way."

A manager for the facility, Joe Fisher,
will be on board this week and things at the site, just about a
mile east of Alturas on County Road 56 will be picking up speed
this week.

"The Tribal Council wanted to open small
and conservative," said Sperling. "We're confident the casino will
be suc cessful, and also that we will be a real ben efit to the
community and the area. We want to be viewed as a community
casino."

For employment opportunities check this
week's classified in the Record or call Ambers at 233-7703.

Modoc median in come ranks
53rd

Modoc actually moved up three notches in
median income for people filing joint returns. Modoc's ranked 53rd
out of the state's 58 counties joint re turns showing a median of
$31,856. The previous year, Modoc ranked 56th out of 58 with joint
returns at $28,848.

The state's median in come also rose by
5.7 per cent, to $49,210, well above Modoc's figures.

The state median in come report comes
from the Franchise Tax Board and is calculated after income tax re
turns are filed. Median income is the point where one-half of the
tax returns are above and one-half are below the mid point. Median
income rep resents the income reported by a typical California in
dividual or couple.

When all returns are considered, Modoc's
me dian in come is $20,771, which ranks the county 48th. The state
me dian in come for all returns is $26,768.

Lassen County, mean while shows a joint
median income of $43,794, ranking it 25th and an overall me dian
income of $28,995, ranking it 11th in the state.

It comes as no surprise that the highest
median in come in both joint, at $80,253, and for all returns at
$37,154, is Marin County which also ranks first in the state in
lowest unem ployment.

Imperial County, which normally has one
of the highest unemployment rates, ranks as dead last in median
income for joint returns at $22,929 and in all returns at
$16,091.

For Siskiyou County, the median income
for all re turns was $20,561, ranking it 51st and for joint
returns, the me dian was $32,859 also ranking it 51st.

Fandango '99 has full
plate

There will be plenty of family fun for
the 1999 version of Fandango Days on July 3 with the Alturas
Rotary Duck Race and the Classic Cruisers Car show the real high
lights.

The Fandango parade is all set and will
start at 5th Street near Jerry's Restaurant and Plumas Bank. The
parade travels down Main Street to the park and begins at 11 a.m.
The Fandango Theme for the year is "Educators of the
Millennium."

The Alturas Post Office and the new Main
Street Clock will be dedicated by the Chamber at 10:30 a.m.

Just after the parade, a premiere of the
Modoc Movie will be held at the Niles Theater, with admission of
$1. It will also be shown again after the Duck Race.

The Modoc Classic Cruisers Car Show and
Shine begins at 9 a.m. and lasts through the day. The show and
shine is at Rachel Dorris Park, east of the Modoc Museum. The car
club is expected to draw nearly a hundred classic cars from
throughout the region and is a real treat for car buffs. The lo
cal Classic Cruisers Club has some of best classics around and
most of the members will display their cars. There will also be
several classic cars in the parade, a real treat.

Activities begin at the park at 12 noon.
Those activities start with the Elks and Lions Club annual tri-tip
barbecue. It's a real down-home feast.

Other activities at the park include the
fol lowing: arts and crafts booths, service club booths, a
horseshoe pitching contest, the Wood-n-Peg Petting Zoo and live
entertain ment by Heartless.

The Alturas Rotary Duck Race will start
at 2 p.m. The 3,000 rubber racing ducks will be dropped into the
Pit River precisely at 2 p.m. and the race to the Main Street
Bridge. The owner of the first duck across the finish line wins a
brand new Chevy 4x4 stepside pickup worth about $28,000. The ducks
are sold at $25 each and are nearly gone.

Kids game will also be held at the park
in the afternoon. Those include a watermelon eating contest, pie
eating con test, space walk, wheelbarrow mazes, and a fishing
booth.

The annual California Pines Property
Owners Association fireworks show will be held at dusk over the
Cal Pines Lake on Saturday.

For more information, contact the
Alturas Chamber of Commerce at 233-4434.

Fandango Days is sponsored by the
Alturas Elks Lodge and the Alturas Chamber of Commerce.

City opts for more funding
for Main

Tuesday night the Alturas City Council
opted to put its money where its mouth is in community
beautification and promotion.

The council earmarked $1,000 from the
Business Enhancement Fund for a main street beautification project
spearheaded by VeeAnn Ambers and the Summer Youth Program. Part of
the project will include building trash containers, flower boxes,
planting and caring for those flowers.

Ambers hopes to get some of the street
cleanup and beau tification project started before Fandango
Days.

Additionally, the council put up another
$1,000 from the business fund for the Modoc Movie. That movie,
under the direction of local attorney Barry Kinman, is a
promotional tool for the county.

The council also appointed Anne ferry to
the Library Advisory Board.

The 1999 Modoc County
Junior Livestock Show and Sale was a huge success

The 51st Annual Modoc County Junior
Livestock Show and Sale was blessed with great weather, impres
sive community support, and strong participation in each division.

The newly renovated grounds gave the
Modoc County 4-H and FFA kids a nice facility to show off all
their hard work.

Monday's horse show kicked off the
week's long event with twenty partici pants and their horses com
peting in performance and gymkhana events. In the performance
category, Emi-ly Kelly from Provi dence 4-H in Adin, earned the
Senior High Point Buckle, Eliz-abeth Younger was the winner of the
Junior High Point Buckle and Stacey Parnow won the Novice High
Point Buckle both from Alturas New Pio neer 4-H Club. In the fast
paced Gymkhana events, Jami Harris from Alturas FFA, won the
Senior Buckle and Megan McCulley, New Pioneer 4-H earned the Ju
nior Buckle. This year, the board added a Novice Divi sion to the
Gymkhana class in which Christjan Bidwell of Bieber 4-H was
awarded the buckle. In the Showman ship division the winners were:
Emily Kelly - Senior 4-H/FFA, Megan McCulley - Junior 4-H and
Meghan Binning - Novice 4-H.

Tuesday, the weather continued to be
gorgeous with a nice breeze to cool things off. The day moved
along quickly starting the morn ing off with the rabbit mar ket
classes judged by Jeanette Jesche of Sparks, Nevada. Zeke Bonham
of Eagleville 4-H won the Grand Champion Fryer Pen of Three, with
Jodie Jones of Cedarville 4-H winning Re serve Champion. Emily
Kelly of Providence 4-H took home Grand Champion Sin gle Fryer
with Megan Thompson of New Pioneer 4-H received the Reserve
Champion. Earning best of Show was Ashley Thompson, Lookout 4-H
and Reserve in Show was Sara Teuscher, Cedarville 4-H. Ashley
Thompson also rewarded the High Point Award. Show manship was
throughout the day, judged by Yvonne Armstrong of Adin, Cali
fornia. The Senior Show manship award went to Jodie Jones of
Cedarville 4-H, Casey Joiner of Lookout 4-H took the Junior award
and Sara Teuscher won the Novice division.

Wednesday was weigh-in day with over 150
animals passing over the scales in preparation for the market
classes on Thursday.

Thursday was a busy day as members
competed in Market and Breeding class-es. Market Swine started at
9:00 a.m., judged by Tim Brown of Tulelake, Cali-fornia. Grand
Cham pion Market Swine went to Landen Brown from the Al turas New
Pioneer 4-H Club, the Reserve Champion win ner was Jake Bonham
from Eagleville 4-H Club.

Market Beef started at 11:00 a.m. in the
arena, be ing judged by J.B. Dimick from Eagle Point, Oregon while
Market Sheep was in the sale ring, being judged by Emily
Cadmagnani from Susanville, California. The Grand Champion Market
Beef was Allison Ferry of Alturas FFA, and Reserve Champion went
to Mandy McGiffin of Cedarville 4-H. The Grand Champion Mar ket
Sheep went to Rachel Im bach and Reserve Champion was Michael
Bates both from New Pioneer 4-H in Alturas.

The Pre-Novice kids did a wonderful job
showing their rabbits, dogs, and a kitten, in Pee Wee Show
manship. Shelby Anderson won the Pee Wee Showman ship with her
rabbit. The judge, Time Brown stated, "This is the toughest
judging I've had to do". Following Pee Wee Showmanship was the
Breeding classes.

Breeding Classes began at 3:00 p.m. with
Breeding Swine as the first class. Landon Brown took Grand
Champion with his Jr. Year ling Gilt. There were no Registered
Breeding Sheep entries, but Jessica Bietz won the Grand Champion
Grade Ewe. Breeding Beef had sev eral entries. Rachel Imbach won
the Grand Champion Registered Female, and Ryan Imbach won the Re
serve Champion Registered Female. Landen Flournoy, from Likely 4-H
Club, won the Grand Champion Grade Female as well as the Re serve
Champion Grade Fe male. The Livestock judg ing contest, was the
last class on Thursday. Katie Kraft as the high scoring in
dividual in 4-H, for FFA Ryan Imbach was the win ner, and in the
adult divi sion, Emily Cadamagnani was the high scoring indi
vidual, but was not present, so the award went to the run ner-up,
Jennifer Vermil lion. Each winner received an engraved knife and
plaque.

Friday's schedule in volved Showmanship
and the Round Robin competi tion. These classes were judged by Tim
Brown for Sheep, J.B. Dimick for Beef, Emily Cadamagnani the swine
judge, and assisting with the rabbit judging was Linda LeNeave and
the horse round robin judge was Janet Woodworth. The FFA Round
Robin winner was Allison Ferry. In the Senior 4-H division the
winner was Ryan Imbach. In the 4-H Ju nior division Rachel Imbach
earned the top award and the 4-H Novice winner was Kaylee
Weidner.

Friday concluded the week-long event
with the Alturas Rotary's delicious Barbecue, followed by the
awards ceremony then the sale.

Friday evening's cere monies began with
the Awards Presentation with Pearce Flournoy announc ing. Sponsors
of the awards presented their trophies and cash awards in
recognition of the members hard work and dedication to their pro
jects.

The Sale followed with a tremendously
supportive crowd in attendance. One hundred, twenty-eight lots
were sold, bringing in over $82,000. There were many factors
involved in the suc cess of this event, but none more important
that a strong Buyers Committee and Ju nior Show Board. Both groups
should be com mended for a job well done. This year's board was
made up of twenty-one members:

Friday's sale began with the pen of
three rabbit divi sion with three lots selling for an average
price of $14.00 per pound. The single fryer rabbit division had 13
lots selling for an average price of $18.31 per pound. Sixty hogs
sold for an average price of $2.62 per pound. Nine head of beef
went for an average price of $1.61 per pound. And in the sheep di
vision, forty lambs sold for an average price of $4.59 per pound.

George Wistos from the Belligerent Duck
started the sale off by purchasing the Grand Champion pen of three
fryer rabbits from Zeke Bonham for $16.00 per pound. Reserve
Champion went to Jodie Jones and was purchased by Stan and Leslin
Chace for $15.00 per pound. The Grand Cham pion single fryer went
to Emily Kelly and was brought by Chuckle Head Farms and Fertile
Acre Rabbitry for $22.00 per pound, with Megan Thomp son selling
the Reserve Champion Single Fryer go ing for $25.00 per pound to K
& K Distribution. Pacific Linen and J & S Roofing
purchased the Grand Cham pion hog from Landon Brown for $5.50 per
pound. The Reserve Champion hog, raised by Jake Bonham was bought
by McArthur Farm Supply for $3.50 per pound.

Congratulations to all the members, and
thank you to the leaders, parents and Ju nior Show Board members,
Rotary, Buyers committee, Ringmen, for all their hard work in
keeping the show running smoothly. A special Thank you to Ginya
Lock wood and Marita Anderson for all their work in the con
cession stand. They were the first ones there and the last ones to
leave every day. CDF-Devil's Garden Con servation Camp-Captain Pat
Filbin and his fire fighting crew, thanks for all their hard work
repairing the John Cummings Memorial Show Grounds.

Veterans grateful for
AMVET's van gift

Veterans of Modoc County demonstrated
their gratitude to AMVETS -Department of California Service Founda
tion by turning out strongly on Wednesday, June 9 for the 11 a.m.
dedication of the new AMVETS van, pur chased and donated to Modoc
County veterans by AMVETS.

A crowd of 60 plus and numerous guests
and speak ers came for the day under beautiful weather outside the
Veterans Hall in Alturas. Since April 19, 1999 when the van
arrived, the van has rolled on 19 trips, added up a total of 8000
miles to trans port 33 Modoc veterans free of charge to the
Veterans Administration Hospitals and medical appointments.

Following the dedication and guest
speakers under beautiful skies, guests en joyed a luncheon in the
Vet erans Hall, Alturas, pro vided by the three veterans
organizations of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American
Veterans and American Legion.

"We can always use more volunteer
drivers," said Lil lian Schoenheide, Modoc Veterans Service
Officer and Gordon Heughen, Van Coordinator. They encour age
people interested in driv ing, to call 233-5787 and leave a
message. Heughen will get back to those who call.

Obituaries

Violet Berniece
Neely

Canby, Calif. resident Violet Berniece
Neely passed away in Redding, Calif. on Sunday, June 20, 1999 at
the age of 73 years. Mrs. Neely had made Canby her home for the
past 30 years, where she was a partner in her husband's business
"Roy Neely & Sons Excavation and Contracting." She was also a
homemaker during their 55 years of mar riage.

Born Violet Berniece Huls on July 15,
1925, in Boatman, Oklahoma, she completed eighth grade at Bryan
Chapel No. 5, Oklahoma. When she was 19, she married Elroy Alford
Neely in Pryor, Mayes, Oklahoma on October 1, 1944.

Mrs. Neely enjoyed gardening, quilting
and taught Sun day School at Calvary Assembly of God in
Canby.

Richard "Dick M. Huff, age 62, passed
away June 14, 1999 at a hospital near his Myrtle Creek, Oregon
home.

He was born February 3, 1937 in Oakland,
California to Mason and Josephine (DiLeo) Huff. As Dick was part
of a military family, he traveled extensively during his youth.
During these years he became interested in forestry and
subsequently received a Bachelor's degree in Forestry from the
University of Minnesota. Dick began working for the Bureau of Land
Management and his job took him to many different parts of the
country, including Coos Bay and Prineville, Oregon.

After years of working in the forest, he
decided to change his career direction, and include a more
people-oriented fo cus to his job. With this in mind, he attended
a leadership program held by the Department of Interior in
Washington, D.C. After the program he went to Denver and began
work ing as a training officer, eventually becoming an organized
development specialist, which he very much enjoyed. Dick was
united in marriage to Linda L. Weisenhorn on Septem ber 9, 1983 in
Aurora, Colorado. His work eventually led him to Alturas,
California where he retired from the BLM on January 3,
1995.

In 1997, he decided to move to Oregon,
having fallen in love with its coast and countryside many years
before. Myr tle Creek had since been his home. Dick served his
county in the U.S. Army, as well as, the National Guard. He was
able to put his teaching experience to good use for many years in
the Guard. He spent more than thirty years working with the Cub
Scouts and Boy Scouts, which he considered an honor and a
privilege. He worked with Scouts while in Alturas. His expertise
in the Scouts led him to receive their highest honor, the "Silver
Beaver" award.

He was also an active member of the
National Associa tion of Retired Federal Employees and an active
volunteer with the Wildlife Safari and the Master Gardeners. Dick
was very much an outdoorsman and rock hound. His inter est in the
outdoors led him to be an avid camper and hiker. He also loved to
travel. Dick was quite the gardener and al ways had a great
vegetable and flower garden when possi ble. He was loved by his
family and friends and will be greatly missed.

He is survived by: his wife, Linda L.
Huff, of Myrtle Creek, Or.; children, Brian Huff and his wife
Cindy, of An chorage, Alaska; Diane Schauer and her husband, Paul,
of Denver, Colorado; Joanne Dante and her husband, Kevin, of
Morrison, Colorado; Julie Huff, of Englewood, Colorado;
grandchildren, Lauren and Alex Huff. Robert, Erika, and Elise
Shauer and Ben and Grace Dante.

He was preceded in death by his parents
and one brother. A viewing took place, Thursday, June 17 at
Taylor's Family Chapel in Winston, Oregon. Funeral services were
held Friday, June 18 at 1:00 p.m. at Taylor's Family Chapel.
Pastor Wally Gwaltney officiated . Burial followed at Rose burg
Memorial Gardens. Military honors were rendered by the VFW
District 12 Honor Guard. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to
the care of Taylor's Family Mortuary in Winston, Or,

Jeri Rae Heard
Garrett

Jeri Rae (Heard) Garrett, 62 died,
Wednesday, June 9, 1999 in Greenville, Plumas County, CA at the
Indian Valley District Hospital.

She was the third of the four children
who have passed on that were born to Vere Walter and Mary Anne
Heard. Jeri leaves two grown daughters Joni Rae Musso of Chico, CA
and Vera Jane Gunderson of Quincy, CA plus many grand children and
one great grandchild. Jeri was so proud of them all.

Jeri Rae Heard was born October 19, 1936
in Prineville, Crook County, OR.

The family moved to Westwood, CA around
1940. Jeri went to high school there, she married her high school
sweet heart, Joseph Musso on June 6, 1953. They and their two
daughters lived in Greenville and Taylorsville, CA. Jeri & Joe
owned and ran a small grocery market in Taylorsville for a short
time, the grocery was named the 4-J Market. Jeri made many
wonderful friends there. She was a fascinating lady, with many
interests, especially the local Maidu In dian culture. She admired
the Maidu Indian beliefs, and acquired a special love and respect
for their Spiritualism.

Jeri loved to read and owned many good
books; her inter ests were broad. She loved to plant and grow
miniature in door plants. She had a dream of someday writing a
book about her many American Indian friends. The closest she ever
came on that project, was a small manuscript she had submitted to
the Maidu Tribal Roundhouse Council in Greenville a couple of
months prior to her passing. There were stories she had put
together, told to her, by her late In dian friends.

Despite the fact of Jeri's misfortune of
being a double am putee of both her legs due to some problems with
phlebitis and infections, more than fifteen years ago, she never
sat around feeling sorry for herself. She had a wonderful atti
tude about life. Sometimes she had a child like happiness over
simple little things. She touched many hearts with her sweetness
and charm.

A gathering at a small country church in
Taylorsville, CA brought together her relatives and friends for a
memo rial with prayers and song, followed by a graveside gather
ing at the Heard Cemetery in Westwood.

July

Record
news for July 1, 1999

July 15 remains target
date for Indian Casino

Plenty to do for
Fandango 1999

But, if your want some
real fun, wait for Big Valley Days

Stanley Steamer treks
through Modoc

Railroad Fun Day set
for July 4

Burning permits
suspended July 1

Obituaries

Berry

Crabtree

Wallis

July 15 remains target date
to open Casino

July 15 remains as the projected open
date for a new Indian Gaming casino at the Alturas Rancheria.

According to Ike Richardson, Employment
Development Department, applications for employment at the
facility are heavy and coming in strong.

"There is a lot of interest and most peo
ple are very positive about the casino," said Richardson. "A lot
of people have taken out applications and a lot of people have re
turned those applications which are now under review."

Plans are to start with a smaller tempo
rary facility and if the casino proves suc cessful, a bigger
permanent structure will be built. Initially, the casino will be
housed in about 2,100 square foot modular and to tal usable space
will be about 3,000 square feet.

The modular units arrived Friday and are
being assem bled on the site now. There will be between 60 and 100
gam ing devices and a couple of card tables, ac cording to Tom,
the developer of the project.

Just what types of gaming machines will
be used at the casino will not be known until the California
Supreme Court issues a ruling on Proposition 5's constitutional
ity.

The casino will be owned and operated
under the Alturas Rancheria tribal coun cil. Paul Del Rosa is the
tribal chair man.

Sperling said the 15 to 20 jobs offered
will be filled with lo cal indi viduals. He is now working with
Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc.'s VeeAnn Ambers and
Richardson. According to Sperling, the fa cility is an equal
opportunity employer that will not give preference to any race.
Jobs offered include cashiers, secretary, secu rity, and
more.

The casino will have largely electronic
gaming -- video poker and the like -- and will provide no alcohol
service. It will have food service, but Sperling says that will
probably be contracted out to local restaurants. If the initial
Casino proves successful, a larger facility would be built which
would include more gaming ma chines, tables, Bingo and a place for
live entertainment.

In addition to allowing local folks a
place to recreate, Sperling said the goal will be to stop those
travelers on US 395 and SR 299 and get them to spend the night in
Alturas.

A manager for the facility, Joe Fisher,
is on board this week and things at the site, just about a mile
east of Alturas on County Road 56 are bustling."

For employment opportunities call Ambers
or Richardson at 233-7703. Applications are available at New
Directions, the corner of East and Eighth Street.

Plenty to do this week for
Fandango Days celebration

July 3 is the big day to celebrate
independence in Alturas as Fandango Days gets ready for the
dance.

Topping the fun and activities this year
are the Alturas Rotary Clubs' Duck Race and the Modoc Classic
Cruisers Car show and shine.

The annual Fandango parade is all set
and will start at 5th Street near Jerry's Restaurant and Plumas
Bank. The parade begins at 11 a.m. and travels down Main Street to
the park. The Fandango Theme for the year is "Educators of the
Millennium."

Just after the parade, a premiere of the
Modoc Movie will be held at the Niles Theater, with admission of
$1. It will also be shown again after the Duck Race.

The Modoc Classic Cruisers Car Show and
Shine begins at 9 a.m. and lasts through the day. The show and
shine is at Rachel Dorris Park, east of the Modoc Museum. Nearly
100 cars are expected for the car show. A real treat is that many
of those cars will also be in the parade adding some serious flash
and color.

The classic cars come from throughout
the region and can be viewed most of the day at the park. The
Classic Cruisers are also holding a drawing for a restored 1958
Chevy pickup and the wining ticket will be drawn at the car
show.

Car show organizers remind local owners
of classic cars that they do not have to be members of the car
club to enter their vehicles in the show. All classics are invited
and encouraged to enter the show and parade.

The Alturas Post Office and the new Main
Street Clock will be dedicated by the Chamber at 10:30 a.m.

Following the parade, activities begin
at the park at 12 noon. Those activities start with the Elks and
Lions Club annual tri-tip barbecue. It's a real down-home
feast.

Other activities at the park include the
fol lowing: arts and crafts booths, service club booths, a
horseshoe pitching contest, the Wood-n-Peg Petting Zoo and live
entertain ment by Heartless.

The Alturas Rotary Duck Race will start
at 2 p.m. The 3,000 rubber racing ducks will be dropped into the
Pit River precisely at 2 p.m. and the race to the Main Street
Bridge. The owner of the first duck across the finish line wins a
brand new Chevy 4x4 stepside pickup worth about $28,000. The ducks
are sold at $25 each and are nearly gone.

Kids game will also be held at the park
in the afternoon. Those include a watermelon eating contest, pie
eating con test, space walk, wheelbarrow mazes, and a fishing
booth.

The annual California Pines Property
Owners Association fireworks show will be held at dusk over the
Cal Pines Lake on Saturday.

For more information, contact the
Alturas Chamber of Commerce at 233-4434.

Fandango Days is sponsored by the
Alturas Elks Lodge and the Alturas Chamber of Commerce.

Big Valley plans Sum mer
Festival events

The Fourth Annual Big Valley Summer
Festival will be held on Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July18,
1999 on Highway 299E in Adin, California.

There will be a Pool Tournament at The
Adin Inn on Friday, July 16 to start the excit ing weekend off.

On Sunday, July 18 start the day off
with the Club Eternal Youth Group Break fast fol lowed by Church
"In the Park", Big Valley's Modoc Ambulance Duck Race, B.V. Boost
er's Club Barbecue and Adin Inn's Doubles Pool Tournament.

All weekend long the fol lowing events
will be avail able for all to enjoy: A soft ball tournament, Kids
games, Lookout Fire Aux il lary BINGO, Craft and food booths.
There will be daily live entertainment through out the
weekend...and much more.

A brand new sound was heard Friday
afternoon down Highway 299 from Alturas to Canby, as a 1907
Stanley Steamer, Model EX-3595, quietly made its way amongst the
14 vehicles par ticipating in the Modoc Small Car Tour.

It was the same sound heard for the
first time in Western New York State almost 90 years ago when the
same model car powered by steam made its unchal lenged debut as
the first au tomobile in town.

"Is that thing running?" asked one of
the onlookers at a luncheon at the Canby Fire Hall catered by
Pizza and Pasta of Alturas at noon Saturday.

"Oh my gosh, it's so quiet," she
continued, as owner Ken Foster of Ogden, Utah, started across the
highway to "fill up" with gas at the local station. He had just
finished "filling up" with water from a hose at tached to the
faucet of a local gift shop.

The vehicle uses gasoline to heat the
water that gives the steam which provides the power for the
extraordinar ily quiet automobile.

Stanley Motor Carriage advertisements
used to read, "If your wife can boil water, she can operate a
Stanley!" This particular model is a runabout, and could carry two
to four people to the store, or into the country for a Sun day
afternoon picnic.

The EX carries 20 gallons of water, and
10 gallons of gasoline which is preheated in a burner to be
vaporized before igniting into flame. The flame heats the water
into steam inside the 18-inch boiler.

"It just shoots up the hills," laughed
Nelda Foster as she watched her husband scooting into the service
sta tion. "The only limitation to power is our nerves. We travel
about 30 miles per hour, but we've been clocked at 55 mph on the
freeway near Monterey," she added.

The EX has no battery, no spark plugs,
no distributor, no turn signals, no starter, no windshield, no
generator, no air cleaner, no oil filter, no transmission, no
drive shaft, no muffler, no shock absorbers or radiator. A lever
on the steering column sets the desired speed. On trips,
additional water can be siphoned from nearby streams.

It glides effortlessly down the highway
with plumes of steam billowing gently from the exhaust. The owners
drove to Alturas and back to Ogden. It was their first trip to
Modoc County.

July 4th is Railroad Fun
day

The Fourth of July will be a Railroad
Fun day in Alturas as the 2nd annual event is staged at the
Alturas-Wrymoo Railroad Museum.

The event starts at 10 a.m. and will run
through to 7 p.m. with train rides, a railroad craft fair, live
music, motorcar and handcar rides and a giant Lionel train layout
for kids of all ages. One addition there will be a chil dren's
locomo tive coloring contest, safety displays and a
barbecue.

One lucky person will win a drawing for
two round trip airline tickets from Southwest Airlines to anywhere
the air line flies. Tickets are just a $1 donation.

Dandy the Dragon and Woodsy Owl will be
on hand for the kids and there will be a hands-on operating garden
rail road.

Dave Rangel, of Wrymoo, said a pair of
passenger cars have been purchased from the Long Island Railroad
for use at the local mu seum. The passenger cars are an important
step in establishing tourist passenger and ex cursion rail road
service in the area. Both the cars are in excellent condi tion and
were be ing used by the Long Island Railroad until June 21. Those
two cars may not be in Alturas in time for this year's Railroad
Fun Days.

The Alturas-Wrymoo Railroad Museum is a
cooperative effort between the city and the Wrymoo Railroad
Historical and Educational Society. It's located just west of the
Alturas Airport on Fourth Street.

Burning permits will be
suspended July 1

Fireworks Prohibited in
Wildland Areas

With wildland fire dan gers beginning to
increase, officials at the Susanville Interagency Fire Center have
announced that all burning permits will be sus pended beginning
July 1.

And, with the July Fourth holiday just
around the cor ner, fire officials are re minding local residents
and visitors that fireworks are not allowed in wildland ar eas.

The burn permit suspen sion affects
permits in Lassen and Modoc counties, the Lake Almanor Basin and
the eastern sections of Shasta County. It applies to outdoor
burning, including incinerators and trash piles.

"Wildland fuels are dry ing out quickly,
and with the warm, windy conditions we have had recently, fire dan
gers are rising," said SIFC Manager Tom Reed. "Burn ing permits
will be rein stated this fall, after fire dangers lessen."

Campfire permits are re quired for
anyone camping outside of developed camp grounds. They can be ob
tained at any office of the Forest Service, Bureau of Land
Management or the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protec tion. Campfire restrictions could be imposed later this
summer, if fire conditions warrant.

Fire officials said fire works, even the
kind labeled "safe and sane," may not be used in national forests,
on public lands managed by the BLM, or unincorporated ar eas.

"Locally, 'safe and sane' fireworks are
allowed only within the Susanville city limit," said Mike Waldron
of the Susanville Fire De partment. "People using these devices
must use them only in fire safe areas and be sure there is an
adult pre sent."

Obituaries

Service set for 'Mel'
Berry

A memorial service for community
promoter, wood furniture artisan and Al turas resident Melvin Eu
gene "Mel" Berry will be held on Saturday, July 10 at 2:00 p.m. at
Faith Baptist Church, Alturas. Pastor Rod Bodmer will conduct the
ser vice.

Mr. Berry passed away peacefully of
heart failure early Monday morn ing, June 14, 1999 at his Al turas
home. He was 64. He is sur vived by his wife Sue Berry of Alturas;
daughter Sharon Grewe and son-in-law Tim of Yuba City;
step-daughter Debbie Henderson and son-in-law Jeff of Maryland;
his mother Melva Moore of Walnut Creek; sister Bev erly Jacobs and
brother-in-law Jack of Walnut Creek; three grand children and
numerous nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews. He was
preceded in death by his brother Gary; his father Eu gene and his
step-father Lee Moore.

Gordon Crabtree

Gordon Crabtree, a native of Likely,
Calif., died of cancer June 16, 1999 at his ranch near Kooskia,
Idaho. He was 72.

He was born in Likely, Calif. on July
15, 1926, to Leo and Ruby Howard Crabtree. Most of his first 30
years were spent in the high desert cattle country of northeastern
California.

He served in the U.S. Navy during World
War II on the seaplane tender USS Pine Island in the South Pa
cific.

He married Lauretta Bar ber June 12,
1950. They moved to the Lewiston area in 1954. He worked for Pot
latch Forests Inc. and for Jim Forsman in Lapwai be fore moving to
the Kooskia area. In Kooskia, he worked at Cory's Sawmill until re
tirement.

The family raised cattle and horses.
Gordon also broke and shod horses for others and knew the skills
of the old-time high desert buckaroos. In later years he also
restored fifth wheeled horse drawn wagons, constructing them of
oak.

Mr. Crabtree was a charter member of the
Clearwater Valley Rodeo Association. For many years he was a mem
ber of the Kooskia Saddliers and county, state and national
cattlemen's organizations. He enjoyed old-time Western music and
dancing. He was always willing to help and generous with his
neighbors.

Survivors include his wife at the family
ranch; three sons, Carl Crabtree of Grangeville, Laurence Crabtree
of Chester, Calif. and Ray Crabtree of Meridian, Idaho; four
brothers Neil Crabtree of Anderson, Calif.; and Leo, Loren and
John Crabtree, all of Alturas; and five grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother
Howard Crabtree.

A graveside service was held June 19 at
Fairview Ceme tery, Kooskia, Idaho.

Ralph Edward
Wallis

Ralph Edward Wallis, 80, died the
morning of June 19, 1999 at Modoc Medical Center in Alturas,
Calif. Mr. Wallis, had moved to Alturas from Redding in November
of 1993.

He was born August 6, 1918 to James M.
and Ida [Hillman] Wallis in Arkansas.

He was laid to rest next to his wife
Mary Ellen at the Al turas Cemetery on June 21 in a graveside
service at 3 p.m. conducted by Pastor Rod Bodmer.

Surviving family members include son
Ralph and wife Gail of Redding; son Elvis of Texas; former
daughter-in-law Sally Wallis of Alturas and her children Rose-Ann
and Naomi Wallis of Alturas; son Eddy and wife Ann of Ore gon;
daughter Kathleen; and son James.

Record
news for July 8, 1999

Former principal files
suit against MJUSD

Modoc assessment inches
up

Modoc High Dean of
Students resigns

Big Valley Summer
Festival looks like fun

Fandango was a fun,
drew some crowds

Lost River, an outdoor
drama staged live

Miss Modoc to be
decided on July 10

OBITURARIES:

Pasquini files lawsuit
against Drennan, MJU

Former Modoc High School Principal Dewey
"Duke" Pasquini has filed a lawsuit against the Modoc Joint
Unified School District seeking damages stemming from the
placement of a hidden camera in his office.

MJUSD Superintendent Craig Drennan is
facing felony eavesdropping charges in Modoc Court because he
ordered district staff to place the camera in Pasquini's office.
The case is set for preliminary hearing July 19.

According to Pasquini's attorney James
Underwood, Brickwood and Underwood, of Redding, the claim "is an
initial step toward holding the District and its superinten dent
accountable for the unlawful and damaging invasion of Principal
Pasquini's privacy rights, and related to other injuries he has
sustained as a result of the illegal eaves dropping."

"More importantly," said Underwood, "the
claim is also intended to begin to clear his previously
untarnished profes sional reputation."

Drennan stated that the camera was
placed in Pasquini's office because he suspected information had
been leaked. The hidden camera revealed no information leaks or
other wrongdoing by Pasquini or staff.

The amount of damages claimed is not
specified in the suit, but Pasquini is seeking money for general
and special damages and for present and future lost earnings. He
will also be seeking punitive damages from individual district
officials and employees who have made defamatory state ments
against him.

Drennan is accused of having the hidden
camera in stalled and operated from November, 1998 until April
1999. It was placed in a corner of Pasquini's office, near the
ceiling and the lens was concealed by a fake smoke detector.
Pasquini was not told the camera was in his office.

The suit contends the following actions
were taken by the district and caused personal and professional
harm to Pasquini: invasion of his personal and professional pri
vacy through acts taken or authorized by Superintendent Craig
Drennan to surreptitiously and unlawfully videotape Mr. Pasquini
in his Modoc High School Office from approx imately November of
1998 through April 26, 1999; libelous and slanderous statements
made by Superintendent Drennan, after revelation of his invasive
misconduct, os tensibly to explain and justify this outrageous and
illegal eavesdropping activity; similar libelous and slanderous
statements made by former Board President Bill Hall, also made
publicly since revelation of the uncensored eavesdrop ping,
apparently in an attempt to justify the egregious and shocking
activities of and the purported explanations by Mr. Drennan;
tortuous interference with Mr. Pasquini's con tractual
relationship with the district; and, other actions by the District
Board, or its officers or employees in furtherance of the invasion
of Mr. Pasquini's privacy and contract rights, and his having been
defamed, as brought about by or with the knowledge or consent of
the District Board.

Underwood contends that statements made
by Drennan, Hall and other employees or officials of the dis trict
have "impugned and seriously damaged Mr. Pasquini's professional
reputation and his ability to effec tively perform as the
principal within the Modoc School District or elsewhere, which
have irreparably damaged his good standing in the community, with
such false and mis leading statements being made to other
employees of the district, to other public officials and the
public generally.

According to the lawsuit those false and
misleading statements inferred that Pasquini had leaked
confidential and sensitive documents from his own office, that
security problems existed in Pasquini's office, that "embarrassing
personnel information" became "common gossip" and could have come
only from Pasquini's files; that a reprimand let ter placed in
Pasquini's personnel file had been leaked.

"These statements, both as spoken and
written, were made with malice and with the intent to injure Mr.
Pasquini, which they did and continue to do," states Underwood.
"Futhermore, they were spoken with complete disregard for the
truth, including Mr. Pasquini's dedicated, professional and
otherwise proper service as principal for the Modoc Joint Unified
School District."

The hidden camera was turned off,
according to the dis trict, after no wrongdoing was discovered in
Pasquini's of fice.

Drennan has been placed on
administrative leave by the district, however he is assisting
Randy Wise, the authorized designee in Drennan's place, with
administrative details.

Johnson told supervisors there were
approximately 2,970 parcels reappraised due to a change in
ownership and an other 189 parcels had completed new
construction.

The total value of the assessment is
$557,084,868 for the year 1999-2000. That's up from 1998-99 totals
values of $540,356,919.

In the secured roll, there was an
increase from 1998-99's total of $519,489,629 to $534,070,363, up
2.81 percent. As far as parcels go, there were 27,344 in 1998 and
27,372 in 1999.

In the secured roll, land accounted for
$305,719,123, up from $296,897,543; improvements accounted for
$205,527,549, up from $199,211,730; and personal property dropped
from $25,544,223 to $25,399,489.

In the unsecured rolls, there was an
increase from $20,867,290 in 1998-99 to $23,014,505 in 1999-2000.
That's a 10.29 percent hike. Land accounted for $6,273,542, up
from $6,044,784 and improvements netted $2,711,774 up from

$2,534,605.

The utility rolls amounted to
$151,350,979 as compared to a value $148,092,580 of last
year.

MHS Dean of Students
resigns

Modoc High School Dean of Students John
Shirley has re signed his position and taken a similar position at
Tulelake High School.

The Modoc Joint Unified School District
is now advertis ing for a replacement to Shirley, who had
completed his first year in the position. What the resignation
means is that Modoc High School will start the millennium year
with both a new principal and dean of students.

Shirley said he had intended to continue
at Modoc High, but the position came up in Tulelake and he based
the deci sion on location and family issues. Shirley owns a ranch
near Tulelake.

Class '57 Chevy wins
Cruiser Car Show

A classy 1957 Chevy owned by Denton
Hollifield of Redding was judged Best of Show in the ninth annual
Modoc Classic Cruisers Car Show Saturday in Alturas.

The '57 Chevy was a real crowd and eye
pleaser that also won its class for modi fied cars from 1955-64
and won best engine overall.

The show attracted 65 high quality
entries and 15 mem bers of the Classic Cruisers put their vehicles
in the show on display only. The total of 80 cars was one of the
best shows held during Fandango Days.

The winner of the Cruisers' restored
1958 Chevy pickup was Helen Smith of Alturas.

The best interior went to a 1928 Ford
Coupe owned by John and Mabel Richmond of Bly, Oregon. Best paint
went to a 1956 Ford F-100 pickup be longing to Rick and Jane
Holloway of Alturas.

The final touches are be ing completed
on the fourth annual Big Valley Summer Festival.

The two-day event actu ally gets started
with pool and baseball tournaments on Friday night in Adin and
things get into full swing on Saturday morning. This year,
Runner's World mag azine is sponsoring a one and three mile
run/walk starting and ending at Adin Primary School. As the
walk/run starts, the Lookout 4-H club will already have their
annual pancake break fast on the grill at the Adin Community
Center. As soon as breakfast is over, you bet ter be looking for
your fa vorite spot to view the parade. John Landoski, Parade
Chair is promising a bigger and better than ever parade right down
Main Street. This year's Grand Marshall is being announced next
week.

As the baseball tourna ment gets started
and the pa rade winds down, a new event will be a classic car
display sponsored by the Mountain Cruisers. This event will be in
the Adin Park. In addition, booths for crafts, games and food will
open on the east end of the park. The annual Emer gency Services
Display will be the Forest Service Park ing lot and will include a
visit by the CHPs H-14 heli copter from Redding if not on
emergency assignment. Kid games will be occurring all day in the
north end of the Adin Park and the new play ground equipment has
been installed just in time for the festival.

If this makes you hungry again, that's
good because the Big Valley Post 7144, Vet erans of Foreign Wars
will have the barbecue fired up and ready for you serving their
beef dinner from 12:00 'til the food runs out. This is their
annual fundraiser and a chance for you to support an organization
that has given so much to Big Valley.

And if you're too comfort able to get
back to the car just step back to the park, because the live
entertainment is just beginning back in the park. Be sure to bring
your danc ing shoes because as night falls so begins the Adin
Chamber of Commerce an nual street dance right at Main Street
parking lot.

Sunday, come early as the Club Eternal
Youth Group will be serving up breakfast before Church in The Park
at 10:00 with special music and a special message by Walt Fisher,
Pastor of Adin Community Bible Church. This annual event always
brings a blessing for all that attend. The Club Eternal Youth
Group is raising funds for members of their group to do mission
work.

After church, the Big Val ley Boosters
Club will be hosting a Tri Tip sandwich lunch with all proceeds
bene fiting the athletic programs at Big Valley School.

Sunday afternoon brings more baseball,
booths and live music in the park. At 2:00 PM, the second annual
Adin Ambulance's Ash Creek Duck Derby is set for Ash Creek right
by the Adin Post Office. New this year is the Summer Festival Jack
Russell dog races. This event will happen back at Adin Community
Park at 3:00 PM.

Round the day out with a Championship
baseball game and a doubles pool tournament.

Big Valley Summer Fes tival bringing the
Commu nity of Big Valley together for a weekend of food, fun and
events for everyone.

Fandango draws crowds, had
some fun

Breezes fanned and sun shine warmed
Fourth of July celebrations as crowds poured into Alturas' Main
Street Saturday, July 3, to witness the Fandango Days Parade,
Alturas Rotary Club's Pit River Duck Race and Modoc Classic
Cruisers car show.

At least four high school class reunions
took place over the weekend, drawing folks from near and far to
gether and to the park.

As the temperatures dropped
dramatically, the wind tapered off and dark clouds began moving in
without rain, California Pines Property Owners of fered their
spectacular Sat urday night fireworks, Modoc County Museum hosted
their Open House and the I'SOTS opened Park Days for the weekend's
crowds, as Wrymoo Rail road Museum held Railroad Days on Sunday
from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. All added to the fes tivities and all were
deemed crowd pleasers.

The 50-minute long Fan dango Parade
brought tro phies to many, including a Sweepstakes trophy to the
Alturas Elks Lodge 1756, for their "Little Red School House" float
showing a classroom from the past and computer age classroom of
the present. Best Theme tro phy was awarded the "Lost River -
Story of the Modoc Indian War" float promot ing the upcoming
opening of the second annual outdoor show on July 22. M bar P
Horsemanship won the equestrian division trophy; Monica Eppler
riding her "Watch out Kindergarten, Here I Come - future student
of the Millennium" won the novelty division trophy. Jerry Sanders
and his "Hooked on Fishing - JS Roofing" won the commer cial float
trophy. Modoc Medical Center Skilled Nursing Facility, whose res
idents sported giant white graduation caps over their motorized
wheelchairs to go with the theme "Educators of the Millennium,"
won the Civic/Service Clubs divi sion. Miss Callaghan's first
grade "Dinosaur Detectives" from Alturas Elementary School won the
Youth Orga nization trophy; R.I.S.E. Resources for Indian Stu dent
Education students and staff walked with their ban ner "Education
will change a nation" and won the Na tive American division tro
phy. Randy and Masten Bethel won the trophy for the Vehicles 1949
or older and Roy Wedde of Klamath Falls won the Vehicles 1950 or
newer.

For eight nights in July a piece of
history will be brought vividly to life by the play lost River,
The Story of the Modoc Indian War.

Lost River tells the story of the Modoc
Indians bid to keep their ancestral land in the face of
encroaching set tlers and the U.S. Army. Led by their chief,
Kientpoos, the vastly out numbered Modocs attempted to negotiate a
peaceful settlement to the crisis and hold on to a small part of
the Lost River land they had called home for thousands of years.
The United States government, represented by General E.R.S. Canby,
refused to al low the Modocs to live so near settlers in the
region and insisted the Modocs move to a nearby reservation in
Klamath Falls, Oregon. When the Modocs and Kla math Indians were
unable to share the same land, Kient poos, now known as "Capt.
Jack", moved his people in to the lava beds stronghold on the
shores of Tulelake and began one of the greatest de fensive stands
in history.

Writer Ben Van Meter and director
Charles Massie tell the story of the Modocs and their war in grand
fash ion. Indian drums echo over shimmering water, the sun sets in
a blaze of glory, stars be gin to dot the night sky and Lost River
begins.

The play is set lakeside at California
Pines, near Al turas, within an hours drive of the actual battle
site; Lava Beds National Monument. Audience members bring picnic
baskets and lawn chairs to be close to the ac tion. The cast and
crew vol unteer their time and ener gies to bring this epic tale
of betrayal and survival to life each year.

This will be the second season for Lost
River after a world premier in August of 1998. The play is the
first for Van Meter who until now, has written only screen plays.
His ability to write on a grand scale helps bring this sweeping
tale to the out door stage. The story flows smoothly between the
Indian and Army camps, aided by the narration of "Jeff Rid dle",
the son of the peace con ference translators, and the "Modoc
Elders" Van Meter weaves together the tragic events that led to
this horri ble battle.

Lost River, The Story of the Modoc
Indian War is presented by the Modoc County Arts Council, Inc. and
Modoc Performing Arts Theatre. Modoc Indian Health Project, Plumas
Bank, Pepsi-Cola and the Ft. Bidwell Women's Fellow ship sponsor
this year's pro duction. Indian drumming is provided by "Rising Na
tion", a local youth drum ming group.

An Old Time Traders Faire will feature
arts and crafts, a black powder shoot ing demonstration, music and
food booths on July 24 and 31 beginning at 2:00 p.m. next to the
theater site. The Black Irish Band will provide pre-show music on
July 22, 23, & 24 beginning at 8:00 p.m.

For anyone interested in getting their
hands on a pro ject, a Raku Pottery class will be offered July 31
at Canyon Creek Pottery. Sign up by calling (530) 233-3787.

Performances of Lost River will begin at
8:00 p.m. on July 22, 23, 24, 25 and 29, 30, 31 and August 1.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Pizza & Pasta Place on
Main Street in Alturas or at the door before the show. Dis counts
are offered to groups of twenty or more. For more information on
Lost River call the Modoc County Arts Council at (530)
233-2505.

Just who will reign as Miss Modoc will
be determined during the annual Miss Modoc Fair Queen contest set
for Saturday, July 10 at the Modoc Fair grounds, Cedarville.

The public is invited to watch the
horsemanship por tion of the contest starting at 5:00 p.m. at the
Jeanne Stevenson Memorial Arena.

A tri-tip beef barbecue will be served
by the Boy Scout Troop #48 starting at 6:00 p.m. with a fashion
show pre sented by Classie Lassie and L&B Ranch Supply. Public
wel come to all events.

This year's contestants hail from
Alturas and Lake City.

The contestants follow:

Jami Lynn Harris, 17, daughter of Rena
and Tim Harris of Alturas, is spon sored by Hair Designers and
Modoc County Sheriff's Posse, with whom she is proud to rep
resent.

"My grandpa [Lynn Har ris] had the honor
of rep re senting Modoc County as its Sheriff for 17 years. I
would like to have the honor of repre senting our county this
way," explains Jami. She appreci ates Hair Designers sponsor ing
her, as she has known and been a customer there for years. "I
asked Dodie [Tipton] if she would sponsor me. Hair Designers has
always been a friendly and fun place and we can talk."

Harris will be a senior at Modoc High
and is working full-time at Alturas Ranches this summer. She plans
to enter college and would eventually like to have a ca reer in
training horses. She has trained her own 7-year-old quarter horse
"Baby Doc Smoke," since the horse was two years old. She also
enjoys art and softball. She stands 5 ' 7 ", has hazel eyes and
brown hair. Her grandparents are Lynn and Doris Harris and Jim and
Dee Russell, all of Alturas. Jami was born and reared in Modoc
County. Amber Knauss of Al turas, 17, daughter of Kathy and Jim
Knauss, is sponsored by Modoc County Sheriff's Posse, JC Penney,
Terri Martinez and Karen McDonald.

A 1999 Modoc High gradu ate and lifelong
Modoc resi dent, Amber will attend UC, Santa Barbara this fall to
be gin studies in pre-physical therapy and eventually trans fer to
UC San Francisco to complete her physical therapy goals. The brown
haired, blue-eyed Amber stands 5'3." Her interests are varied from
participation being a silver medalist in the 1999 Aca demic
Decathlon to being a UCA All Star Cheerleader, a Modoc County 4-H
All Star, musician and three year tro phy and medal winner as a
4-H Fashion Revue model win ner. Amber also enjoys rid ing horses,
snow and wa ter skiing and sewing. She cur rently works part time
at Hol iday Market.

Sara stands 5'9", has brown hair and
green eyes. "I have always wanted to represent Modoc as a queen on
a horse." Sara can see herself after high school as an animal
technician. Modoc has been her home for 10 years and she will
enter her senior year at Modoc High this fall. She was a team
member with the State basketball championship team from MHS and is
com peting in the Miss Junior Cal ifornia pageant. She is work ing
full time at Gil's in Al turas. Sara enjoys outdoor activities
from riding her horses and dirt bikes to, hunt ing, fishing, and
sports.

Shannon Ochs, 16-year-old daughter of
Linda and Jack Ochs of Al turas, is spon sored by L & B Ranch
Supply and the Nelsons of Auction Yard Cafe. She stands 5'9", has
brown hair and hazel eyes and will be entering her ju nior year at
Modoc High. Shannon is working part time at L&B Ranch Supply
this summer. Her future plans in clude attending Modesto Ju nior
College, then transfer ring to UC Davis to major in veterinary
science and medicine. She served as chapter Vice President for FFA
and received the Chapter State Farmer honor and a gold in project
competition and di versified livestock pro fi ciency award this
year.

"I think it would be an honor
representing Modoc County as part of the Miss Modoc Court," says
Shannon. Jodie Marie Jones-

Zand stra, 16, daughter of Katherine and
Ben Zand stra of Lake City, is sponsored by Surprise Val ley
Rotary Club and her parents. Jodie was born in Alturas and has
lived in Modoc all her life. This summer she is working full time
on the family ranch. With auburn hair and green eyes she stands
5'6" and will enter her junior year at Sur prise Valley High this
fall.

"Ever since I have gone to the Modoc
County Fair and have seen the Queen and court, I have wanted to
run and become Queen," offers Jodie. Among her many long-term
goals are to attend Feather River College and re ceive an
undergraduate de gree and participate in their horse program, then
enroll in the veterinary science pro gram at UC Davis and return
to Surprise Valley to practice veterinary medicine and own a small
ranch.

She is an honor student who received
special recogni tion for her Golden State ex ams. Jodie is an
active member and officer for 4-H and FFA, and enjoys showing her
rab bits and beef cattle. She has an artistic side shown in ceram
ics and cake decorating. She loves the outdoors, animals,
especially horses and has trained her own horse Blaze.

Prizes include a western outfit, silver
belt buckle, sash and tiara. A $200 Savings Bond, sponsored by the
Modoc County Farm Bureau, will be given to the Queen and a $100
Savings Bond sponsored by the Alturas and Surprise Val ley Rotary
Club will be pre sented to the princess.

Record news
for July 15, 1999

It's Hot! Fire danger
is extreme

High winds cause major
damage in town

Alturas Casino set to
open soon

Big Valley all set for
Summer Festival

Amber Knauss is Modoc
Fair Queen

Lost River outdoor
dramna nearing its opening

OBITUARIES:

John "Lucky"
Luckado

It's hot! Fire danger ex
treme in north state

The mercury has been try ing to pop out
of the glass bulb this week as temperatures in Modoc went over the
century mark and stayed hot for five days.

Fire departments through out the area
are on high alert this week and have been kept busy over the last
few days.

According to Carol Sharp, Modoc National
Forest, on Tuesday there were seven fires confirmed on the forest,
with the Mud Fire the largest at 50 acres. Mud Flat is north east
of Lookout and the fire started Tuesday after noon.

According to Sharp, there were eight en
gines and a heli copter on the fire. In addi tion, five engines,
three crews and three wa ter tenders are in Modoc from Oregon
bases.

Most of the lighting strikes on Tuesday
were in the Big Valley area and east of Canby. Sharp reports that
a total of 697 light ing strikes were recorded from 1:30 p.m. un
til about 10:05 p.m. Tuesday.

"It's about as dry as I've ever seen
it," said Alturas Rural Fire Chief Alan Jacques. "We're sitting on
a timber box here and we're asking people to be very, very
careful. My advice is to clear all grass, brush and trees from
around their homes and property. It's vital that there is a
cleared area around struc tures."

Temperatures are expected to drop at the
end of the week, but the area needs some wet ting rain to cool off
and dampen the hot bed of weeds and grasses.

Last week, a major fire erupted in Modoc
Estates the af ternoon of July 7. The fire, ac cording to Jacques,
was hot and moved very fast and er ratically.

"There were two homes and one storage
shed that were in serious jeopardy," accord ing to Jacques. "We
were really concerned, but the teamwork for the various agencies
was exceptional and everyone did a great job."

In addition to 17 members of the ARFD,
there were crews and engines from the California Department
Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Devil's Garden Conservation
Camp and the US. Forest Service on hand.

According to Jacques, the fire was off
Pencil Road and Buffalo and Lions Roads. Jacques said it burned an
esti mated 15 acres, but could have been very large had the re
sponse and fire fighting ef forts not been so quick and ef fec
tive.

"I can't say enough about everyone's ef
forts, the fire was moving very fast and you couldn't predict
which direc tion," said Jacques. "Juniper trees were just
exploding. It was very, very hot."

According to Christi Forero, Dispatcher
for the Modoc National Forest, there were two small fires on the
forest as of Tuesday morn ing, burning only about one-tenth of an
acre. The Forest is pre pared for dry lightning this week and on a
tense level of alert with the fire danger at the ex treme
level.

The forest has several peo ple out
helping on other fires in the area, including seven at the Thomas
Creek Fire near Lakeview, which was controlled Monday, two at the
Reno Fire, two near Truckee and one in Alaska. Late Tuesday
afternoon, thunder clouds were building in the county and fire
fighters were bracing for dry lighting storms. By Tuesday at 3:30
p.m. the Forest dispatch level was put on emergency status.

A fire was reported at Mud Spring about
3:30 p.m. which was responded to with both ground and air
units.

A small fire erupted on Centerville Road
near the Alamo Restaurant Monday after noon but was quickly put
out by CDF and ARFD fire fighters.

The temperatures in Alturas were at 99
to 100 on Monday and Tuesday, but a low pres sure area was pre
dicted to move in Wednesday. Thunderstorms were the ma jor fear.
The probability of precipitation is very low, but the temperatures
are expected to drop into the 80s.

While Alturas was hot, Redding was the
hottest spot in the nation Monday as the tem perature reached 114
degrees, just above Red Bluff's 113.

High winds rip through
Alturas, damage is major

Tuesday afternoon the temperature in
Alturas dropped from 100 to 61 degrees in a matter of 15 minutes,
a forebearer of things to come.

As the thunderclouds built and then
turned into a very dark mass, dime-sized hail pelted the town,
followed by tor rential rains. Then the wind came.

In what turns out to be a fortunate and
wise decision, Eleanor Dorton, Alturas Swimming Pool Manager,
pulled kids out of the pool about 5 p.m. Tuesday after noon. She
had been watching the dark clouds build and took the cautious
approach, fearing a major thunderstorm.

As the storm grew stronger and more
ominous, Dorton told a few children to stay in side the office and
dressing room areas and wait for their parents to pick them up,
rather than allowing them to walk home.

About 30 minutes after ev eryone had
been removed from the pool a fierce wind jerked the roof and solar
pan els off of the older north-side building and dumped the large
mass of twisted wood, metal and plastic directly into the pool. A
flood light also was blown into the pool. debris also flew into
the fence and around the area. Dorton said the storm was a
frightening sight, and was thankful no children or employ ees were
hurt.

"There is damage every where," said
Alturas Chief of Police Larry Pickett. "Luckily, no one was hurt.
The storm damage seems to be located in and around Alturas. We
seem to be get ting more severe weather around here."

The wind, which had been clocked at the
Alturas Airport at between 75 m.p.h. and 95 m.p.h. created havoc
through out Alturas. The north side of a large roof on the main
building of the airport was ripped from the frame and large
portions of twisted steel and wood were tossed about 100 yards
from the building. The wind also caused some damage to the Alturas
Railroad Museum Buildings, the Modoc Middle School roof and
spotted areas through that part of town. In addition, cor rals and
buildings were damaged at the Modoc Livestock Market just west of
town.

The wind continued to blow hard
throughout the evening and at 9:10 p.m. it broke off a large
section of a tree on East Street which crashed through the power
lines, severing them and knocking out power to much of Alturas. In
some cases power was restored in a couple of hours, but a large
portion of the west side of town remained without power until
about 3:15 a.m. Some areas of Modoc Estates were without power
until daylight.

Alturas City Clerk Cary Baker said the
Tuesday night meeting of the City Council was cut short because of
the power outage. "Luckily coun cilman George Andreason is a
smoker and led us out of the council chambers with his lighter,"
said baker. "It was so dark in the building you couldn't see the
hand in front of your face."

The wind uprooted and blew a large
mature tree into Modoc High School, where it was leaning against
the build ing Wednesday. Other trees in town, including one in a
res ident's yard were simply uprooted and fell against the home.
Tree limbs were scattered throughout the community and the Alturas
Park was a mess as tree limbs covered the lawn.

The lights and power flick ered and went
off shortly about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday. At that time residents of
Modoc Estates reported a major hail and rain storm. Modoc Estates
resi dent Arlene Johnson said hail was blast ing her home and
sheets of rain followed. "It had been so hot before the storm that
my dog wouldn't even go outside," she said. "We have some crazy
weather here in Modoc."

The major portion of the storm hit
Alturas right at the 5 p.m. traffic hour and sent tor rents of
rushing muddy water down Main Street gutters. Storm drains handled
the water and no flooding was ev ident.

Alturas Casino to open
soon

Work is going according to plan for the
opening for the Alturas Casino at the Alturas Rancheria just east
of town on County Road 56.

According to Tom Sperling, the developer
of the project, all the gaming machines are installed and crews
are now working on the final aspects of construction.

The projected opening date was today,
but that may not happen because the National Indian Gaming
Commission has not yet approved the gaming ordinance for the
facility. Sperling expects that approval to come in the very near
future and once it does, the doors to the new casino will be
opened.

Big weekend set for
BigValley Festival

The skidder is broke down; the baling's
not quite done, oh well the Big Valley Summer Festival is this
weekend and it's time to head to Adin where food, fun and games
will abound.

Things will get started Friday night
with the Adin Inn's annual pool tourna ment. A new event will be a
Scrapbooking Demonstra tion and Workshop which is scheduled for
6:00-8:00 at the Adin Community Center. Reservations can be made
by calling Michelle at 299-3582.

Runners World Maga zine is sponsoring
this event which starts at 8:00 a.m. Saturday. Come early to reg
ister for this event. The Lookout 4-H is your host for breakfast
from 7:00-10:00 Sat. and the Main Street Pa rade starts at 10:00
a.m. Af ter the parade, food, crafts, displays, and games for ev
eryone start at different parts of the Adin Community Park. Kids
games, a 3 on 3 hoops tournament, men's baseball are just a few of
the many events. A classic car display is scheduled in the Park at
Main Street. The VFW Barbecue starts at 12:00 and will be served
un til the food runs out. Satur day is rounded out with the annual
Adin Chamber of Commerce Street Dance, which starts at 9:00
p.m.

Sunday begins again with a great
breakfast in the main hall at the Adin Com munity Center served by
the Club Eternal Youth Group. The baseball tournament gets going
for the day at 8:00. The annual "Church in the Park" is scheduled
for 10:00 a.m. with churches from Bieber and Lookout also
participating with great spe cial music. Pastor Walt Fisher will
give the morn ing message.

Sunday Tri-tip lunch will be served by
the Big Valley Booster's Club and afternoon events include the
Modoc Medical Center Adin Ambu lance's annual duck race which
begins at 2:00 p.m. at the Ash Creek Bridge on Main Street and its
back to the park for a new event. At 3:00 p.m., Jack Russell Dog
Races will start. Round out the day with a championship baseball
game and a doubles pool tournament. Between all this will be more
crafts, bingo and food.

Amber Knauss to reign as
Miss Modoc Fair Queen

Amber Knauss was crowned the 1999 "Miss
Modoc Fair Queen" with Jami Harris as Miss Modoc Princess, during
a warm Saturday night pageant at the Modoc Fairgrounds in
Cedarville, July 10.

The 17-year-old Amber is the daughter of
Kathy and Jim Knauss of Alturas. Am ber is a 1999 Modoc High gradu
ate and a lifelong Modoc resi dent. She plans to attend UC, Santa
Barbara this fall to be gin studies in pre-physical therapy and
eventu ally trans fer to UC San Fran cisco to complete her
physical therapy goals.

The brown haired, blue-eyed Amber stands
5'3." Her interests are varied from participation as a silver
medalist in the 1999 Aca demic Decathlon to being a UCA All Star
Cheerleader, a Modoc County 4-H All Star, musician and three year
tro phy and medal winner as a 4-H Fashion Revue model win ner. She
was sponsored by Modoc County Sheriff's Posse, JC Penney, Terri
Martinez and Karen McDonald.

Amber works part-time at Hol iday
Market.

A tri-tip beef barbecue was served by
the Boy Scout Troop #48 with a fashion show pre sented by Classie
Lassie and L&B Ranch Supply.

"We had a really good turnout for the
barbecue and a full house for this year's con test," described
Jeanne Grove, Modoc Fair Manager. "Everything went very well. It
was a close race and we had good judges. I'd say we were really
pleased everything went along smoothly."

Jami Lynn Harris, 17, daughter of Rena
and Tim Harris of Alturas, was se lected as Fair Princess. Jami
was born and reared in Modoc County and this fall she will be a
senior at Modoc High.

She is working full-time at Alturas
Ranches, putting in a lot of hours this summer. She plans to enter
college and would eventually like to have a ca reer training
horses. She has trained her own 7-year-old quarter horse "Baby Doc
Smoke," since the horse was two-years-old. She enjoys art and
softball.

Jami stands 5' 7", has hazel eyes and
brown hair. She was spon sored by Hair Designers and Modoc County
Sheriff's Posse.

This year's contestants hailed from
Alturas and Lake City and also included Sara Lou Howell, Shannon
Ochs and Jodie Marie Jones-Zand stra.

The 1999 Modoc - The Last Frontier Fair
will run August 19-22. Before and after the Modoc Fair the Queen
and Princess will be traveling to surrounding area fairs in Lassen
and Klamath Coun ties and horse shows and may be appearing at this
week end's Masten Ramsey Stock horse Jubilee in Alturas.

To augment their travel costs of hauling
their horse trailer and horse for each event, the two will be
offering a silver bit as the prize for a drawing. They will be
selling tickets this weekend.

Amber received a western outfit, silver
belt buckle, sash and tiara and a $200 Savings Bond, sponsored by
the Modoc County Farm Bureau. A $100 Savings Bond sponsored by the
Alturas and Surprise Val ley Rotary Club was pre sented to the
princess.

Lost River, The Story of the Modoc
Indian War opens lakeside at California Pines July 22. This
outdoor drama depicts the conflict between the Modoc Indians and
the US Government in 1872-73.

The Modoc County Arts Council presents
the produc tion with Modoc Performing Arts Theatre onstage, under
the starts, for eight perfor mances Thursday through Sunday at 8
pm starting July 22. The director, Chip Massie says, "It is a very
ex citing show this year, last season was a good shake down
cruise, this year we've returned some characters to their proper
place and even added a few new scenes."

The show boasts a cast and crew of
almost 90 local performers and technicians, all volunteering their
time to bring Lost River to life.

The script for Lost River was written by
Ben Van Me ter, of Santa Rosa, CA, based on his original
screenplay and documentary film script. Lost River combines the
fast-paced epic story telling of a film with the in timacy of live
theatre. His script moves between the two sides of this amazing
con flict with a fair hand, it shows the good and bad on both
sides and treats the au dience to a moving and thought provoking
piece of history.

This year's production has benefited
greatly from a very generous contribution made by Modoc Indian
Health Project. "They really got us started this year," said Ken
Franklin, director of the Modoc County Arts Coun cil. "Their
support made it possible for us to get an early start on
advertising and promotion for the second season and we may easily
reach our goal of 1500 to 2000 attendees because of it." He added.
Plumas Bank, Pepsi Cola and the Ft. Bidwell Women's Fellowship
also funded this season's produc tion.

The setting, lakeside at California
Pines, is a beau tiful place to spend an after noon and evening.
The Modoc County Arts Council is sponsoring an Old Time Traders
Faire on July 24 and 31 before the show be ginning at 2 pm.
Alturas of fers many excellent choices before the performance and
the California Pines Lodge has a restaurant at the am phitheater
site.

Information on dining and accommodations
can be found at the Alturas Cham ber of Commerce on Main Street in
Alturas or by call ing (530) 233-4434. Lost River has a web site
at www.lost-river-drama.org for information on the pro duction and
interesting his torical links. Tickets can be purchased in advance
at Pizza & Pasta Place, Main Street, Alturas or at the door on
show nights. You can get group discount and show in formation from
the Modoc County Arts Council at (530) 233-2505.

John "Lucky"
Luckado

John Elvin "Lucky" Luckado, 87, passed
away on July 9, 1999 in Alturas, Calif. at the Skilled Nursing
Facility of Modoc Medical Center, where he had been a resident for
the past year.

Mr. Luckado moved to Modoc County in
1960. He had worked at a number of positions throughout his life,
includ ing a lot of work on cattle ranches. He resided in Bieber
for a time before entering the Skilled Nursing Facility in Al
turas.

He was born in Appomattox County,
Virginia on June 7, 1912 to James William Luckado and Luticia
Elizabeth Win free Luckado of Virginia.

No services will be held. Mr. Luckado's
cremains will be placed at the Alturas Cemetery. He is survived by
a daugh ter.

The Modoc
County Record July 22, 1999 Edition

Drennan will go to
trial on September 7

Eagleville plans a good
time for all

Lightning hits Modoc
with several fires

Don Demsher sets goals
for interim

Plumas Bank profits up
25.4%

Big Valley Summer
Festival

ARFD, others, increase
abilities

1999 run of Modoc Fair
promises new surprises, new carnival, new policies

Black Irish Band has
unique mix of music

The 1999 Fair Theme is
"Modoc--Trends and Traditions."

Lost River drama starts
8-day run July 22 at Cal Pines

Tickets & Times,
for the Lost River BBQ

Obituaries:

Barbara Wicks
Brown

Alice Faye
Flournoy

Gene Dunn

The Forecast: Partly cloudy with some chance of afternoon
thunderstorms Friday and Saturday. Look for lows into the 30s and
highs into the 70s and 80s.

ARFD, others, increase
abilities

College of the Siskiyous presented the
class to the local agencies to enhance their rescue capabilities.
The class had the local firefighters hanging by their ropes in
precarious places.

All the firefighters who completed the
course received a State Fire Marshals Office certificate in rope
rescue. The instructor, Edward Andrews, a Captain for the City of
Redding is a certified Regional Instructor for the Fire
Marshals.

Andrews said he enjoys working with this
great group of people who attended the course. Andrews thinks that
the Alturas Rural Fire Department is one of the most progressive
volunteer fire departments he has had the chance to work with.
Chief Allen Jacques should be commended for his fine leadership in
bringing out side training to his and other fire departments in
the area.

The three-day course was an intensive
presentation of the rope rescue art. All agreed that they had
worked hard and were scared out of their wits most of the time
during the course.

With the new rope rescue gear that is
being purchased, Alturas Rural Fire Department will be able to
provide limited rope rescue services to the community which it
serves.

Big Valley Summer
Festival

By Julie Conde

Children were laughing and smiling,
seniors were "shaded up somewhere" catching up on local goings
on", and folks in general were having a great time at the Big
Valley Summer Festival, according to Dan Bouse of Adin, event
chair man.

"Our goal has been 'something for
everybody'," he added, standing among some of the 800 participants
in the annual community gathering.

"It was a crackup to watch the kids," he
laughed. "Remember the old traditional games - the sack races, egg
tosses, and all - well, it was just a ball watching the kids have
so much fun. We had a tank of ice water where any one who could
stand and walk dipped their feet in that ice water to see how many
marbles they could get out of there in 30 seconds."

It all started with a pool tournament
and scrap booking activity Friday night, and then a Saturday
morning breakfast sponsored by the Lookout 4-H Club.

Later in the day, parade participants
wound their way down Main Street. In the afternoon the VFW
provided an annual barbecue in the Adin Community Park which was
lined with food and craft booths, and an antique car show.

"At first I kind of got hung up on if we
had gotten the news out sufficiently for people to know about this
and come," Bouse explained. "But as I was walking around the park
and seeing people socialize and just have a good time together, I
knew everything was just great.

"Our goal has been something for
everybody. We had a street dance Saturday night 'til two in the
morning, the Providence 4-H Club had their dunk booth going, and
if there's some thing we've missed , just let me know and we'll
add it next year," he laughed. "I've looked around and haven't
seen anybody here that couldn't participate in something. "

A seven team men's fast pitch softball
tournament continued through the week end, the "Basic American
Foods" from the Tulelake beating Susanville in an extra inning 9-8
win Sun day.

"The tournament went really well this
year," explained Brian Gerig, event coordinator. "Last year the
weather was a very difficult factor, and we ended up running
between here and Bieber, because the rain missed Bieber and hit
here, washing us out.

"This year the weather had cooperated,
and we were able to play all 18 games here in Adin. It will be
great if we get the new lights in," he continued, "so that we'll
be able to continue play after dark.

Third place went to Castle Rock of
Newell, and fourth to the Stronghold Aces of Tulelake.
All-Tournament selections included Rod McCollum, Stronghold Aces;
Bobby Rhone and Luis Idrogo of Castle Rock; Steve Warren, Thomas
Brown, Cort Cortez and Jeff Fulfer of Susanville; Jason Schwerdt,
Sam Frost, Josh Conrad and Greg Winner of Basic American
Foods.

Tournament Most Valuable Player was Dave
Garrison of Basic American Foods; Mr. Hustle was Junior Ibarra of
Susanville, and the Golden Glove award was given to Steve Churney
of Basic American Foods. Other teams participating included Burney
NAPA, Burney Auto and Pit River Casino also from Burney.

On Sunday, the crowd cheered 11 Jack
Russell Terriers as they raced down an improvised track in three
heats of four races each, chasing a piece of fur pulled down the
track by a battery powered winch.

"Annie", owned by Shelley Livingston,
was "de fending her title" won in the Adin festival last year.
Muzzles and leashes were required for all participating dogs, who
streaked down the track and disappeared between two hay bales as
they chased the speedy fur.

With colored scrunchies around their
necks for identification these popular pets amazed spectators with
their speed, and also provided smiles and laughter with their
antics as they at times lost sight of the "target".

"Hey, if you blink you miss the race,"
laughed one spectator. "this would be great on the world's
funniest home videos," remarked another.

"A lot of ranchers have these crazy Jack
Russell Terriers," explained Charles Kramer of Bieber, who with
his wife, Karen, set up the track at home and hold practices for
local owners.

"This breed of terrier was used in
Europe together with the hounds to encourage them to run,"
explained Karen, "and they're getting really popular for pets.
It's just really a lot of fun watching these dogs run."

"Frankie", a five-month-old puppy took
awards for funniest run, as he lost sight of the fur, and just ran
in circles in the middle of the track. The next race will be in
McArthur, August 14, at the Fairgrounds Grand stand.

Don Demsher sets goals for
interim

Modoc Joint Unified School District has
hired Don Demsher as interim Superintendent on a 60 day contract
that could be extended. He is serving since Superintendent Craig
Drennan is on administrative leave, facing a felony eavesdrop ping
trial in September.

Demsher's arrival also means that
Alturas Elementary School Principal Randy Wise, who was acting
superintendent, may now devote his time to the principal's
position.

Tuesday night the Board of Trustees
approved Demsher's goals for his term here. Those goals include
serving as the educational leader to the staff and community,
working with the Board of Trustees in a supportive relationship
and keeping the board informed about all relative issues.

One of the big issues currently on
Demsher's mind and agenda is finding a Dean of Students for Modoc
High School to replace John Shirley, who resigned to take a
position in Tulelake.

Additionally, Demsher will represent the
district during negotiations and discussions with bargaining units
and monitor the district's financial condition. He will inform the
board of any situation that could be a problem.

Demsher's goals also include:
maintaining a high standard for the district's facilities and
developing a positive working relationship with employees and
members of the school community. He also wants to work with site
principals to establish goals and objectives for each school and
to insure schools open in a smooth and positive manner in
August.

He also wants to address district
personnel vacancies and be informed about all special projects,
including school renovation, geothermal and computer projects. He
will keep the board and public informed about the projects and
wants to develop a district newsletter. He said he will represent
the district in a positive supportive manner at all times.

Demsher said he may call on Drennan for
certain information, but said Drennan is not working regularly in
the district and will not be for the near future.

Tuesday night the board elected Sean
Curtis as President of the Board of Trustees for the coming
year.

Drennan will go to trial on
September 7

The felony eavesdropping case against
Modoc Joint Unified School District Superintendent Craig Drennan
will go to trial September 7 in Modoc Superior Court.

Drennan, who is on administrative leave
from the MJUSD post, was charged with felony eavesdropping after a
hidden video camera was discovered by Alturas Police in the office
of Modoc High School Principal Dewey "Duke" Pasquini's
office.

According to District Attorney Tom
Buckwalter, Drennan could face up to three years in prison if
convicted, but he suspects a judge would choose other options
including probation, fines and possibly county jail time.

Drennan's attorney Joe Gazzigli, of
Redding, filed motions to have the case dismissed as well as
reduced to a misdemeanor, but Judge Dier ruled against those
motions.

The MJUSD has hired Don Demsher, who
worked as interim principal at Modoc High School in the recent
past, to assume interim Superintendent duties this week. He was
hired for a 60-day period. Demsher, a retired school
administrator, was popular with staff and students during his
tenure as MHS principal. Alturas Elementary School Principal Randy
Wise had been filling in as interim superintendent and will now
return to his principal's office. Drennan, has on occasion, been
in the office to assist during his administrative leave, said
Wise.

The hidden camera was discovered and
removed by the Alturas Police Department May 4 after it's
existence was reported to them. Pasquini was not told the camera
was in his office. It was in the ceiling and the lens was covered
by false smoke detector. The camera had been in operation for
about six months.

School officials reported to police that
the camera operated 24 hours per day, five days per week and was
turned off in March. There are no charges pending against anyone
else connected with the installation or operation of the cam
era.

Drennan has steadfastly denied any
wrongdoing in the incident, saying he had asked for and received
legal advice from the district's legal counsel saying the
placement of the camera was a permissible act. Drennan's side has
also stated since the video had no audio portion, it was not
illegal. That issue was addressed during the preliminary hearing,
and according to Buckwalter, the lack of audio did not change the
eavesdropping charges.

Modoc District Attorney Tom Buckwalter
filed the felony eavesdropping charges following an investigation
into the issues. Buckwalter remains firm that Drennan acted
illegally by placing the hidden camera in Pasquini's
office.

Drennan has said he set up the camera
because he suspected some sensitive personnel information had been
leaked or files rifled through in Pasquini's office. He has said
that some of the in formation leaked concerned Pasquini's records
and files.

While Drennan has told staff that he in
stalled the camera for Pasquini's and staff protection, Pasquini
has said he would never have agreed to that camera and he did not
know it was installed in his office. Pasquini has filed suit
against the MJUSD in the matter.

The video revealed no evidence that
anything was removed or leaked from Pasquini's office and the
camera was turned off.

Eagleville plans a good
time for all

Eagleville's own special barbecue sauce,
renown for its good flavor, will be served with the pit barbecued
beef and good time Saturday night, July 31 during the annual
Eagleville Barbecue at the Eagleville Community square.

Celebrating its 54th year this year, the
public is invited to dine and dance the evening away. Children
welcomed.

The Eagleville Fire Department and
community's few hands will chip in to make the event possible for
so many. Dinner will be served from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. In addition
to the beef and vegetables, pit barbecued, beans, green and potato
salads, rolls, and coffee to be served with other beverages
offered for sale.

A ticket to the dinner also includes the
dance from 8 p.m. to midnight. Tickets for the dinner/dance are
$10 at the door, adults; or Presale $9 available at Eagleville
Store & Restaurant, Coast to Coast in Alturas and Page's
Market, Cedarville. Children, ages six to 12, tickets are $4;
under five crowd, served free.

Everyone is invited to join the fun. All
proceeds will benefit the Eagleville Volunteer Fire
Department.

The food is still prepared the same way
as it was when the barbecue first started following World War II.
The day before the barbecue the meat is rolled with vegetables and
seasonings, then wrapped in a layer of butcher paper and burlap.
Early the next morning, the bundles are dipped in water and
carefully laid on the coals of the pit-fires which were lit the
previous evening. The meat cooks all day, and is ready just as
festivities get underway in the evening.

Lightning hits Modoc with
several fires

A lightning storm last Wednesday started
at least 13 fires, but rapid response by the U.S. Forest Service
kept all the fires to a minimum.

According to Carol Sharp, the Mud fire
was kept to a total of 67 acres, and all other fires were at the
five acre or smaller size. The Forest responded to all fires with
sufficient resources to control them, and other than the Mud Fire,
the largest was kept to five acres.

There were two fires on the Modoc forest
this week, the Hunsaker on the Big Valley Ranger District and the
Bucher Fire on Devil's Garden. Both of those fires are controlled,
according to Sharp.

There is also a lightning-caused fire
burning in the Big Sage Fire Management Unit. That fire started
July 13 and has burned to a 20-acre size, but is not spreading.
Fires in the unit are allowed to burn out unless they threaten to
become major and encroach outside the unit boundaries.

There is also a small lighting fire near
Blue Mountain which is being monitored closely.

Sharp also said forest equipment is on a
BLM fire near Ravendale.

She said the forest remains very dry and
volatile and reminds the public to be very careful with
fire.

Lost River drama starts
8-day run July 22 at Cal Pines

Lost River, The Story of the Modoc
Indian War starts an eight-day run lakeside at California Pines
July 22.

This poignant outdoor drama depicts the
conflict between the Modoc Indians and the US Government in
1872-73.

Lost River tells the story of the Modoc
Indians bid to keep their ancestral land in the face of
encroaching settlers and the U.S. Army. Led by their chief,
Kientpoos, the vastly out numbered Modocs attempted to negotiate a
peaceful settlement to the crisis and hold on to a small part of
the Lost River land they had called home for thousands of years.
The United States government, represented by General E.R.S. Canby,
refused to allow the Modocs to live so near settlers in the region
and insisted the Modocs move to a nearby reservation in Klamath
Falls, Oregon. When the Modocs and Klamath Indians were unable to
share the same land, Kientpoos, now known as "Capt. Jack", moved
his people in to the lava beds stronghold on the shores of
Tulelake and began one of the greatest defensive stands in
history.

Writer Ben Van Meter and director
Charles Massie tell the story of the Modocs and their war in grand
fashion. Indian drums echo over shimmering water, the sun sets in
a blaze of glory, stars be gin to dot the night sky and Lost River
begins.

The Modoc County Arts Council presents
the production with Modoc Performing Arts Theatre onstage, under
the stars, for eight performances Thursday through Sunday at 8 pm
starting July 22. Massie says, "It is a very exciting show this
year, last season was a good shake down cruise, this year we've
returned some characters to their proper place and even added a
few new scenes."

The show boasts a cast and crew of
almost 90 local performers and technicians, all volunteering their
time to bring Lost River to life.

The script for Lost River was written by
Van Me ter, of Santa Rosa, CA, based on his original screenplay
and documentary film script. Lost River combines the fast-paced
epic story telling of a film with the intimacy of live Theatre.
His script moves between the two sides of this amazing conflict
with a fair hand, it shows the good and bad on both sides and
treats the audience to a moving and thought provoking piece of
history.

This year's production has benefited
greatly from a very generous contribution made by Modoc Indian
Health Project. "They really got us started this year," said Ken
Franklin, director of the Modoc County Arts Council. "Their
support made it possible for us to get an early start on
advertising and promotion for the second season and we may easily
reach our goal of 1500 to 2000 attendees because of it." he added.
Plumas Bank, Pepsi Cola and the Ft. Bidwell Women's Fellowship
also funded this season's production.

The setting, lakeside at California
Pines, is a beautiful place to spend an after noon and evening.
Information on dining and accommodations can be found at the
Alturas Chamber of Commerce on Main Street in Alturas or by
calling (530) 233-4434. Lost River has a web site at
www.lost-river-drama.org for information on the production and
interesting historical links. Tickets can be purchased in advance
at Pizza & Pasta Place, Main Street, Alturas or at the door on
show nights. You can get group discount and show in formation from
the Modoc County Arts Council at (530) 233-2505.

This will be the second season for Lost
River after a world premier in August of 1998. The play is
presented by the Modoc County Arts Council, Inc. and Modoc
Performing Arts Theatre. Modoc Indian Health Project, Plumas Bank,
Pepsi-Cola and the Ft. Bid well Women's Fellow ship sponsor this
year's production. Indian drumming is provided by "Rising Nation",
a local youth drumming group.

An Old Time Traders Faire will feature
arts and crafts, a black powder shooting demonstration, music and
food booths on July 24 and 31 beginning at 2:00 p.m. next to the
theater site. The Black Irish Band will provide pre-show music on
July 22, 23, & 24 beginning at 8:00 p.m.

Performances of Lost River will begin at
8:00 p.m. on July 22, 23, 24, 25 and 29, 30, 31 and August 1.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Pizza & Pasta Place on
Main Street in Alturas or at the door before the show. Discounts
are offered to groups of twenty or more. For more information on
Lost River call the Modoc County Arts Council at (530)
233-2505.

1999 run of Modoc Fair
promises new surprises, new carnival, new policies

It's none too soon to purchase discount
tickets Presale for the new Carnival and big savings during the
August 19-22 Modoc District Fair in Cedarville.

Ticket sales open today for the discount
purchase of 30 tickets for $10 that can be used every day of the
fair at the Carnival. These Presale tickets also allow the ticket
holder the savings of one ticket per ride. Purchase Presale
tickets at Holiday Market, Coast to Coast in Alturas; Sherer's
Chevron Service, Canby; Davis Creek Mercantile, Eagleville Store,
Likely General Store and the Modoc Fair Office, Cedarville. The
fair office will remain open through lunch hours and is open 8
a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition, for Kid's Day on Friday,
August 20, a POP -pay one price, wristband can be purchased for
$10 for unlimited rides from noon until 6:00 p.m. only at the
carnival area, on Kids' Day.

Admission for Kids' Day is free for any
child 12 years and younger. Any child six years and under is
admitted free everyday of the fair run. Free admission is offered
kids six years and younger to the Stew Stewart Show and Demolition
Derby.

Modoc's Fair has several new things this
year from a new carnival, fresh, new entertainment and several new
policies.

"We have a new carnival this year that
is promising more rides, bumper cars and more games than last
year, plus some different kiddie rides," describes Jeanne Grove,
Modoc Fair Manager.

A long-time family owned and operated
carnival of the Lopez family has contracted with this year's Modoc
Fair to bring their Pacific Coast Shows, Inc.

"Specializing in family fun," Pacific
Coast Shows always has at least one of the six member Lopez family
present and directly in charge of the carnival and food concession
operations at all times. They travel throughout California 45
weeks every year to provide their carnival midway.

It will be their first time to Modoc and
Grove is hoping for a good turnout at the carnival and for the
first time offer of Presale discount carnival tickets.

It's not an easy task to at tract
carnivals to the far northeastern corner of the state because of
their travel costs and the numbers at tending the local fair,
unless they can coordinate and book their visit with an additional
fair in a nearby location to make it cost effective.

"Our midway features the latest model
rides, all beautifully lit, clean and safety inspected," offer
members of the Lopez family.

Kids' Day will feature Jerry Sanders of
J&S Roofing and his Bass fishing boat with demonstrations of
casting in the park area and prizes for kids.

New entertainment will be
announced in coming is sues.

Another new item this year will be the
viewing and selling of a 1938-40 color video, narrated and filmed
by former Surprise Valley resident Earl Simson, who now resides in
Yuma, Ariz.

"This priceless, half hour video" says
Grove, includes Modoc's seasons, the Alturas and Likely rodeos,
the old days of haying, how Modoc looked, parades, old buckaroos,
sailing on a full Surprise Valley lake, during a bad winter and
many more views of life in the late 1930s.

"We will be showing the video and taking
orders for copies of the video," said Grove. "We've already taken
a number of orders. The funds raised from the video sales will go
into refurbishing our old hearse and wagons."

New policies to make the fair pleasant
for all, include no dogs on the fairgrounds or midway, with the
exception of those leashed Thursday for the sheep dog trials in a
specific area. No bicycles on the fairgrounds and no in-line
skates or skate boards. All religious and political groups will
need to reserve a booth by calling the fair office in
advance.

Don't forget Premium Books are still
available at the Modoc Record office, 201 Carlos Street, Alturas,
Monday through Friday, 8:30 - 5:30 and at the Modoc District Fair
office in Cedarville, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. open
through the lunch hour. En tries are due August 6 for all but
perishable agriculture and floriculture entries, which are due
August 13.

Entry forms are located on the back of
the free Premium Books. For more in formation please call the
Modoc Fair office at (530) 279-2315.

The 1999 Fair Theme is "Modoc--Trends
and Traditions."

Modoc Cattlemen get chance to voice
concerns to National Beef Association

Clark Willingham, immediate past
president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), is
not on a California tour, but is making a special trip to
Northeastern California because the Modoc and Lassen County
Cattlemen's Associations asked him last December to come out and
hear the tough questions local cattlemen have about the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association.

On Saturday, July 24 in Susanville and
Sunday, July 25 in Likely, folks will have a great opportunity to
ask Willingham questions, voice complaints, or just visit with a
leader of the NCBA. "He will be here just to visit with you--it's
the only reason he is coming," explains Carolyn Carey, who has
made the arrangements.

On Sunday in Likely, ranchers are
invited to visit and see "Likely Place," Rich Hamel's new RV
Resort and golf links in Likely. Sign up for golf at 1 p.m. or
come for cocktails at 6 p.m. with dinner to follow. The barbecue
is $7 per person.

"You don't have to be a golfer to play
in the best ball tournament, as the "best ball" of the foursome
will be the one scored. Just come out and have some fun," urges
Carey.

"You don't even have to play golf--just
come for cocktails, a great tri-tip and beef rib barbecue, and a
chance to visit and see Rich Hamel's terrific new facility, Likely
Place, one and one-half miles east of Likely on Jess Valley Road.
If you're a rancher and have questions and concerns about the
NCBA, this is your best chance to voice them where it will count,"
Carey adds. "Tell one in a position to listen and talk one-on-one
with an NCBA leader."

Hamel is donating the golf carts for the
best ball tournament. Tournament fees are $20 for nine
holes.

Saturday, July 24, Willingham will be at
Rancher's Day at Lassen County Fair in Susanville. He will be
there from 2:30 p.m. on. For more Saturday details call Dennis
Wood, 257-4441 or Jack Hanson, 257-5712.

Willingham has just finished five years
as President of NCBA, which includes one year as NCA president
before the merger. He still travels as an NCBA representative and
will come here fiercely from the NCBA mid-year meeting in Denver,
Colo. His home base is Dallas, Texas.

Willingham has promised to report on the
NCBA Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendations for improvement of
the national organization. It was recently learned at the
California Cattlemen's Association (CCA) mid-year meeting, that
one of those recommendations from the commission will be to
"change the manner in which the CCA is affiliated with the NCBA."
It was said to be "something that would make Californians happy,"
according to Dee Lacey, commission member. The Blue Ribbon
Commission's recommendations are scheduled to be mailed out for
review before the end of July.

The Black Irish Band will bring their
special mix of Celtic, folk, Sicilian and Irish music for concerts
at 7:00 p.m. before the lakeside performances of Lost River-the
Story of the Modoc Indian War, at California Pines, opening
tonight, July 22 and playing through Saturday, July 24.

The band will also be playing at the
Niles Hotel on Friday night, July 23, at 9 p.m. for a $5 per
person cover charge.

It all started over 10 years ago when
both Patrick Michael Karnahan and Richard Restivo met on the set
of Universal's Back to the Future 3. Both were used in the film as
a part of the Hill Valley Band.

During the many film breaks, they both
talked about their love for folk mu sic and Spanish brass. The
Black Irish Band was formed, the name coming from the Spanish
sailor's love for the Irish. Karnahan who comes from a strong
Irish background and Restivo, a first generation Sicilian, made
for an interesting mix that has become the band's trademark sound
of the future.

Black Irish has recorded eight albums.
Karnahan, an award winning ASCAP songwriter, has written 15
original songs about the people, places and history of California.
His music has created a new doorway into understanding the history
and times of the American West.

The Sonora-based band has performed at
the Eagle Theater in Sacramento for a California State Railroad
Museum event and Sesquicentennial celebration on Stanislaus
National Forest; in Skagway, Alaska at the Gold Pan Theater for a
world-wide broadcast on National Public Radio stations, at
Fitzgerald's in Reno, Nev. and at the Festival of the Sea at the
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. They were also
part of Canada's and Alaska's centennial Gold Rush Celebration in
the Yukon last year.

The Modoc County Arts Council is
sponsoring their appearance at the outdoor historical
drama.

Plumas Bank profits up
25.4%

Plumas Bank (OTC: PLBA) today announced
that its second quarter 1999 net earnings were just over $470
thousand, up 25.4% over the $375 thousand earned during the
comparable period in the previous year.

Net earnings for the first six months of
1999 were $940 thousand up 22% from the comparable six-month
period in 1998. Net earnings per share (basic) adjusted for the
June 15, 1999 three for two stock split was 45¢ as com pared
to 37¢ for the first six months of 1998.

William E. Elliott, president and chief
executive officer of Plumas Bank stated that, "The bank's earnings
growth was driven, to a great extent, by strong loan demand in the
real estate, consumer, and the agricultural sectors and the
absence of the onetime expenses incurred by the bank in 1998 as a
result of the acquisition of two Bank of America offices in
Chester and Fall River Mills. We expect strong loan growth to
continue through out the remainder of 1999."

As of June 30, 1999, the bank's assets
stood at $205 million, up 6.2% over June 30, 1998.

Loan growth over the past year was up
19.6% from $97 million at the end of the second quarter of 1998 to
$116 million currently.

Total deposits were $186 million, an
increase of 4.5% over the $178 million at the end of the second
quarter 1998.

Shareholder equity was $15.6 million, up
from $14 million on 1998.

"Historically, the bank's financial
performances is stronger in the second half of the year," said
Elliott, "especially in terms of earnings growth."

Headquartered in Quincy, California.
Plumas Bank maintains nine full-service community banking offices
serving the financial needs of local families and businesses in
Plumas, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta and Sierra Counties since 1980. The
Bank provides traditional deposit, lending, mortgage and
commercial products and services to business and retail customers
throughout North eastern California. Plumas Bank also specializes
in providing banking services to the local agribusiness community
as well as mutual funds and insurance services.

Obituaries

Barbara Wicks
Brown

Barbara Wicks Brown, age 58 of Davis
Creek, Calif. passed away on July 21, 1999, after a battle with
lung cancer. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 24,
at 11:00 a.m. at the First Christian Church, 1020 N. Prospect,
Porterville. A second memorial service will be held in Alturas on
Saturday, July 31. A full obituary with details regarding the
memorial service in Alturas will appear in next week's
paper.

Alice Faye
Flournoy

Alice Faye Flournoy, 78, of Alturas,
Calif. passed away in Klamath Falls, Ore. on July 13, 1999. A
memorial service will be held Saturday, July 24 at 11:00 a.m. at
the Federated Community Church in Alturas with the Rev. Dr. Ben
Zandstra officiating. Following the service, a fellowship luncheon
will be held in the church social hall.

Mrs. Flournoy was born July 26,1920 in
Roseburg, Ore. to Harvey and Mary Alma (Wright) Twyman. She moved
to Alturas in her teen years and graduated from Modoc Union High
School as her class valedictorian. She married Harry Flournoy on
September 19, 1938 in Reno, Nev. and lived her entire married life
in the Likely-Alturas area. She was a mother, homemaker, and
worked beside her husband in their business, the Likely General
Store, for many years.

Mrs. Flournoy's interests and joys were
her family, cooking and playing bridge. In earlier years, she was
active in the Likely Community Church, served as a former
moderator of the Modoc Larger Parish, as President of the Parent
Teacher Association, and was a past member of Christian Women's
Fellowship and Modoc County CattleWomen. She was a current member
of the Federated Community Church in Alturas.

She is survived by four daughters and
sons-in-law Sharon and Ed Berryessa of Cedarville; Lynne and Peter
Gerig of Bieber; Sally and Tom Costello of Rocklin and Becky and
Bob Franzoia of Sacramento; sisters Erline Flores of Salinas,
Merle Wilkinson of Aptos, Miriam Lister of Watsonville; brother
Richard Twyman of Grants Pass, Ore.; grandchildren Renelle Bengle
of Mt. View; Lori Salters of Gazelle; Alan Berryessa of
Cedarville; Bryan Gerig of Bieber; Lee Ann Widener of San Diego;
Kate, Kelli and Alison Costello of Rocklin; Jillian Franzoia of
Sacramento and 12 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents
and sister Evelyn Halward, a brother Louis Twyman, a grandson
Curtis Gerig and her husband Harry Flournoy.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations
may be made to the Federated Church Flournoy Memorial or to the
charity of one's choice.

Gene Dunn

Word was received this week that former
long time Alturas resident and businessman Gene Dunn died July 20
in Arbuckle from an apparent heart attack.

Dunn was very well known locally and
owned and operated Dunn's Meats for many years. Funeral
arrangements are pending and a full obituary will be printed next
week.

August

Record news
summaris for August 5, 1999

Group stages peaceful
demonstration for Medicine Lake

Nor-Cal Pitches City,
County on power plan

Lion population causing
local concerns

BLM seeks input on area
fishing roads

Look for fun at the
Modoc Fair

Cedar Pass road repairs
underway

Stew Stewart performs
for the Modoc Fair

OBITURARIES:

Virginia
Bell

Ann Ruth
Brown

Chester David
Cannon, Jr.

Arnold Eldon "Bud"
Fulcher

Dr. Elizabeth Harold
Block

Marjorie Virginia
King Price

John Ellis
Simpson

Groups out to save Medicine
lake from geothermal plants

On Monday a group of people representing
the Save Medicine Lake Coalition held a peaceful demonstration at
the Modoc National Forest Supervisors Office in Alturas.

A decision on a project to build two
geothermal power plants proposed for the Medicine Lake Highlands
is expected in the near future and the group was on hand to voice
opposi tion to that development.

Calpine's Fourmile Hill project and
CalEnergy's Telephone Flat project have un dergone an
Environmental Review and Forest Supervisor Scott Conroy and BLM
Field Manager Tim Burke are expected to make a decision on the
future of the two pro jects.

The Save Medicine Lake Coalition is ask
ing the gov ernment agencies to select a "no action" alternative
from the possibilities. The coalition has several environmental
con cerns, and one issue that can not be miti gated to insignifi
cant levels is the impact of the developments on cultural and
spiritual values of Native American Tribes.

In addition to the Native American
issues, the group points to visual qualify degrada tion, noise
impacts, air and water quality impacts, impacts to roadless areas
and recre ation, impacts on ancient forests and asso ciated
species and concerns over seismic and volcanic activity.

"I believe we're making some headway in
our efforts," said Janie Painter, of Mt. Shasta and a member of
the coali tion. "We may have to end up in state or federal court,
but we believe what we're doing is vital."

Painter states that various companies
are seeking to profit from "green energy" subsi dies extended to
them under California's new renewable energy program. She said $49
million dollars are earmarked for the two projects by the
California Energy Commission.

"The high level of environmental and
near pristine quality of the Medicine Lake Highlands is prompting
us to have deep con cerns about these proposed projects," Painter
said in a letter to Conroy, Burke and Jack Robertson, Deputy
Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration. "The
Highlands have exceptionally pure water, clean air, and great
significance to several Native America Tribes. Intense public con
troversy plagues the proposed geothermal de velopments . . . The
overwhelming majority of comment letters for both projects, over
90 percent strongly object to proposed geother mal developments.
The lead agencies (Forest Service and BLM) have failed to ad dress
the magni tude of local opposition, the cumulative effects and the
poten tial expan sion of several more projects."

According to the coalition, large areas
of forest would have to be clear-cut to make room for the two
proposed 48 MW power plants, the plants structures would rise
above the tim berline. The combination of both plants would
require over eight miles of 36 inch diameter above ground pipe
seven miles of production and injection pipelines up to 24 produc
tion wells and up to 10 injection wells. There would also be 26
well pads, each having its own 500,000 to 1 million gallon sump
pond capacity.

In addition, they say, the cooling
towers of each plant would have a 360,000 gallon dump pond and
storage pond. A 24-mile long 230KV transmission line and miles of
new roads would cross the landscape.

In reference to asking for a No Action
al ternative, which would be a ruling against the project and in
favor of leaving things the way they are on the Highlands, the
group is ask ing for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
should the agencies ap prove the project.

The Fourmile project is about four miles
northwest of Medicine Lake and the Telephone Flat project is just
east of Medicine Lake by about two miles.

The Nor-Cal Electric Authority used
Tuesday to pitch the City of Alturas and County of Modoc on its
proposal to pur chase PacifiCorps California electric service
area.

While the meeting was primarily
informational, there were some serious concerns raised by Modoc
Supervisors and those concerns will be dealt with over the next
few weeks.

The Nor-Cal Electric Authority is a
joint powers authority (JPA) created in November, 1998 by the City
of Yreka and Del Norte County. The reason for the JPA was to
present an offer to purchase PacifiCorps electric service area
which in cludes Modoc County.

On April 9, PacifiCorp signed a letter
of intent to sell its service area to Nor-Cal and on July 15 a
definitive purchase agreement was signed by both enteritis.

According to Modoc County Administrative
Officer Mike Maxwell, the meeting Tuesday offered more questions
than answers and created some nervousness at the county
level.

First off, said Maxwell, Nor-Cal had
indicted by letter that it would like Modoc to join to JPA, as a
non-voting member or as a voting member if the county would cough
up $125,000 to $150,000 of the initial due diligence funds needed.
If the county chose not to join to JPA, Nor-Cal stated it would
not have to pay property taxes or franchise fees.

"The county looked at that initially as
a threat," said Maxwell. "And frankly, our legal stance is that
they would still be liable for both franchise fees and taxes."
According to Maxwell, Siskiyou County also balked at join ing the
JPA and both counties have voiced some reservations about not
being included in the discussions and studies ear lier on in the
process. For instance, Modoc was not contacted prior to Nor-Cal
and PacifiCorp signing the definitive pur chase agreement.
Actually, said Maxwell, he doesn't even have a copy of the
agreement.

One of the major concerns of the county,
said Maxwell, is Nor-Cal's ability to stabilize power rates for
Modoc's cus tomers. The county had also indicated early on that it
would like the local service to be provided by Surprise Valley
Electric, a local cooperative.

The entire project must go before the
California Public Utilities Commission for approval. One of the
key issues the CPUC will consider is rate stability.

Tuesday's meeting was primarily
informational, said Maxwell, but the county had more questions up
front than Nor-Cal was able to provide adequate answers for
initially and they will come back at a later meeting for more
discus sion.

Maxwell said the major concern the
county has is a lack of a voice in the decisions of the JPA, as
well as the ratepay ers not really having a voice in the JPA down
the line. There are many areas of concern that need to be worked
out, said Maxwell, before Modoc will ever sign on as a member of
the JPA.

"We know PacifiCorps is going to sell
the facilities," said Maxwell. "We're trying to insure that rate
payers here get the best deal possible. We're really not that
clear on Nor-Cal's proposal."

Cougar population causing
concern

The mountain lion popu lation in Modoc
and most of northeastern California is causing some serious con
cern from a wide variety of people, including recre ationists and
livestock op erators.

The lion has been pro tected in
California for several years, since the passage of Proposition 117
by the people of the state. Several lions have been killed in
Modoc County, most under a depredation permit status when they
were either threatening livestock, pets or humans.

The lack of any man agement or control
of the lion popula tion has reached the ears of the Modoc Fish,
Game and Recreation Commission, which now wants to find out just
how widespread and common mountain lion encounters oc cur.

John Kerr, a member of that commission
is asking anyone who has had an en counter or confrontation or
even a sight ing to contact the commission and write down what hap
pened, where it happened, when it hap pened and who it hap pened
too.

"We're not just con cerned about lions
who have been killed or re moved after a problem," Kerr said. "We
want to know just how many en counters there have been between
humans and lions. We'll compile the informa tion into a re port
that will hopefully have some impact on the state Fish and Game
Commission or the state legislature." Kerr said the plan is to
gather and organize the in formation into a non-bi ased report
that will be pre sented to State Senator Tim Leslie. Good, solid
infor mation, said Kerr, may at least get some sort of man agement
proposal up for de bate.

Anyone who has had an encounter with a
mountain lion is asked to describe it in writing and mail it to
the Modoc Fish, Game and Recreation Commission at P.O. Box 130,
Alturas, Ca. 96101.

BLM seeks input on fishing
area roads

Earlier this spring the Bureau of Land
management an nounced it was closing roads in to two popular
fishing spots, Delta and Nelson Corral Reservoirs.

That announcement was greeted with
protest from local fishermen and BLM Manager Tim Burke backed away
from full closure once he had heard from several people.

Now that fall is approaching, the BLM
wants to show the public what occurred this year and, more
importantly, make plans for next season.

Burke told the public last spring that
the BLM would come back this fall and look at proposals to keep
the roads open while keeping road damage to a minimum.

Burke is requesting public comment next
week during the Modoc Land Use Committee's regular meeting August
11. The BLM road issue will be taken up by the committee at 4 p.m.
that day.

In addition to taking public comment,
Burke and the BLM will also be presenting photos of the roads and
what happened to them this year. The big issue, however, is to
come up with a workable solution to the situation.

1999 run of Modoc Fair
promises new surprises, new carnival, new policies

It's none too soon to pur chase discount
tickets pre-sale for the new Carnival and big savings during the
August 19-22 Modoc District Fair in Cedarville.

Ticket sales open today for the discount
purchase of 30 tickets for $10 that can be used every day of the
fair at the Carnival. These pre-sale tickets also allow the ticket
holder the savings of one ticket per ride. Purchase pre-sale
tickets at Holiday Mar ket, Coast to Coast in Al turas; Sherer's
Chevron Ser vice, Canby; Davis Creek Mercantile, Eagleville Store,
Likely General Store and the Modoc Fair Office, Cedarville. The
fair office will remain open through lunch hours and is open 8
a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition, for Kid's Day on Friday,
August 20, a POP -pay one price, wristband can be purchased for
$10 for unlimited rides from noon until 6:00 p.m. only at the
carnival area, on Kids' Day.

Admission for Kids' Day is free for any
child 12 years and younger. Any child six years and under is
admitted free everyday of the fair run. Free admission is offered
kids six years and younger to the Stew Stewart Show and Demolition
Derby.

Modoc's Fair has several new things this
year from a new carnival, fresh, new entertainment and several new
policies.

"We have a new carnival this year that
is promising more rides, bumper cars and more games than last
year, plus some different kiddie rides," describes Jeanne Grove,
Modoc Fair Man ager.

A long-time family owned and operated
carni val of the Lopez family has contracted with this year's
Modoc Fair to bring their Pacific Coast Shows, Inc.

"Specializing in family fun," Pacific
Coast Shows always has at least one of the six member Lopez family
present and directly in charge of the carnival and food concession
operations at all times. They travel throughout California 45
weeks every year to provide their carnival midway.

It will be their first time to Modoc and
Grove is hoping for a good turnout at the car nival and for the
first time offer of pre-sale discount carnival tickets.

It's not an easy task to at tract
carnivals to the far northeastern corner of the state because of
their travel costs and the numbers at tending the local fair,
unless they can coordinate and book their visit with an additional
fair in a nearby location to make it cost effective.

"Our midway features the latest model
rides, all beau tifully lit, clean and safety inspected," offer
members of the Lopez family.

Kids' Day will feature Jerry Sanders of
J&S Roof ing and his Bass fishing boat with demonstrations of
casting in the park area and prizes for kids.

New entertainment will be announced in
coming is sues.

Another new item this year will be the
viewing and selling of a 1938-40 color video, narrated and filmed
by former Surprise Valley resident Earl Simson, who now resides in
Yuma, Ariz.

"This priceless, half hour video" says
Grove, includes Modoc's seasons, the Alturas and Likely rodeos,
the old days of haying, how Modoc looked, parades, old bucka roos,
sailing on a full Sur prise Valley lake, during a bad winter and
many more views of life in the late 1930s.

"We will be showing the video and taking
orders for copies of the video," said Grove. "We've already taken
a number of orders. The funds raised from the video sales will go
into re furbishing our old hearse and wagons."

New policies to make the fair pleasant
for all, include no dogs on the fairgrounds or midway, with the
excep tion of those leashed Thurs day for the sheep dog trials in
a specific area. No bicy cles on the fairgrounds and no in-line
skates or skate boards. All religious and po litical groups will
need to re serve a booth by calling the fair office in
advance.

Don't forget Premium Books are still
available at the Modoc Record office, 201 Carlos Street, Alturas,
Mon day through Friday, 8:30 - 5:30 and at the Modoc Dis trict
Fair office in Cedarville, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
open through the lunch hour. En tries are due August 6 for all but
perishable agriculture and floriculture entries, which are due
August 13.

Entry forms are located on the back of
the free Pre mium Books. For more in formation please call the
Modoc Fair office at (530) 279-2315.

The 1999 Fair Theme is "Modoc--Trends
and Tradi tions."

Road improvements continue
on Cedar Pass

Work continues on the two projects on
Cedar Pass in Modoc County on State Route 299.

The projects include many improvements
with emphasis on the safety of the traveling public. The first
project is for slide repair and the second project is for the
installation of rock fencing.

The slopes will be flat tened and
revegetated for better stability. Horizontal drains and rock lined
ditches will be added for ero sion protection. Special ero sion
control has been put into effect for temporary and permanent
protection. Fiber rolls of straw are being used to filter and slow
the pace of any storm water run off into Cedar Creek. At Cedar
Creek the culvert will be ex tended. A rock fence will be
installed with a separated flat area that will allow for rock
fall.

Caltrans is working clos-ely with the US
Forest Service and the California Regional Water Quality Board,
Lahouton Region.

Part of the removed mate rial will be
used to create a small parking area for visi tors using the scenic
trail along Cedar Creek. The re maining material will be used to
provide a 32 inch cap for a landfill site about 7 miles northeast
of Cedar-ville. The timber that has been removed is being hauled
to US Forest Service land for disposal.

Hat Creek Construction is the contractor
on the two pro jects with a combined cost of $810,000. Motorists
are re minded to drive with caution through the construction area
and to use extreme care when highway workers are present.

If you have any questions you may call
Resident En gineer Jeff Bline at (530) 225-3065, Senior Project
Engi neer Don Chilton at (530) 225-3081 or Public Informa tion
Officer Pat Denton at (530) 225-3260.

Stew Stewart Show is top
performer here

Modoc fairgoers will enjoy the return of
the Stew Stewart Show to the Modoc Fair's Grandstand Show on
Friday night, August 20 at 8:00 p.m. Stewart has been called "One
hell of an entertainer" by Lee Greenwood and in 1998 Stewart was
named the "Best male entertainer in Cabaret" by Fun and Gaming
Magazine. Stewart was also voted Best local band for
Carson-Douglas in 1998 and 1999 by the Reno Gazette-Journal's
"Best of" article.

Stewart's career in entertainment has
spanned over 20 years. He has performed in casino's across Nevada
and over 100 State and county fairs. He entertained the armed
forces overseas in Korea in 1994 and has opened for a long list of
country's greatest and some legendary rock and roll acts like
Chuck Berry, Al Wilson, Tommy Roe, Del Shan non and more.

His newest album, "Bet your Heart" was
produced by his long-time friend Jerry Fuller. Fuller has been
writing hit songs for over 30 years. Some of his hits include
"Young Girl" made famous by Gary Pucket; "Travel'n Man" and "It's
up to You," sung by Rick Nelson. Stewart's new record include some
of Fuller's past hits and creative new sounds.

Loraine Crosby, entertainment director
of John Ascua ga's Nugget says, "Stew is one of our most popular
enter tainers."

"Having Stew come back is like seeing an
old friend," shares Jeanne Grove, Modoc District Fair Manager.
Stew art played the Modoc Fair in the 1980s and has entertained
audiences throughout the years. A personable entertainer, Stewart
will bring his voice and music to delight fairgoers once again, as
he enjoys the Modoc Fair.

Tickets are available at Belligerent
Duck in Alturas and the Fair office in Cedarville. Tickets are $8
adults; $6 children; ages six and under, free admission.

Virginia Bell was born April 6, 1910 in
Seattle, Wash., to William and Ella [Meager] Kahlke. She was
reared in the Seattle and Puget Sound area, attending Seattle
schools and graduat ing from Normal School [Jr. College] in
1930.

She married Ralph H. Oliver in 1937 in
Port Ange les, Wash. To that union Ralph brought a son and
daughter and Ralph and Virginia had one daughter. Virginia spent
her career in the accounting and secretar ial fields living in
various cities in Washington, Ore gon and California.

During the late 1950s she worked for
Mitch Jurasevich of Alturas, typing his mem oirs. In early 1960s,
she was a secretary for Surprise Val ley Joint Unified School
District. Virginia returned to Seattle after the death of husband
Edmund A. Bell of Redding in 1970. She moved to Woodland, Calif.
in 1980. She was an avid reader, loved political arguments and
enjoyed sewing.

She was preceded in death by her parents
and her only sibling, Patricia Obzina of Seattle.

At her request, there will be no
services. Cremation was held by the Neptune So ciety with
distribution to be in the deceased's beloved Pa cific
Ocean.

Ann Ruth Brown

A Mass of Christian Burial for Ruth Ann
Brown will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Alturas on Satur day,
August 7 at 10:00 am., followed by interment at the Alturas
Cemetery. A recep tion will be held at the home of Dennis and Pam
Banis ter, 200 East B Street, Al turas, after the services.

Ann Ruth Brown, 95 years, four months
and 12 days, died July 24, 1999 in Oregon City, Oregon. She was a
former resident of Modoc County. She moved from Weaverville to
Modoc in 1931, when her husband was transferred tot he High way
Maintenance Station on Sugar Hill. This was her home where she
raised her family until 1950, when the station was moved to Davis
Creek. After her husband's death in 1952, she lived in Alturas.
where she worked at Modoc Medical Center in the housekeeping
depart ment and also helped with the care of patients in the
nursing home section, until her retirement in 1971. She was a
member of Sacred Heart Parish in Alturas for over 60 years. In
1994, due to her health status, she moved to Oregon City to be
with her daughter. She was a mem ber of St. John the Apostle
Catholic Church in Oregon City.

She was preceded in death by her husband
Dudley Brown and her eldest son, Benton M. Brown.

Mrs. Brown is survived by her daughter
and son-in-law Frances and William Watson, Oregon City, Ore.; her
sons and daughters-in-law Ralph and Carolyn Brown of Keno, Ore.
and Clark "Buz" and Anna Brown of Carlin, Nev.; her grandchildren
and their wives and husbands Bernie and Janice Banister, Al turas;
Dennis and Pamela Banister, Alturas; Rob and Marti Banister,
Oregon City; Cheryl Brown, Ralph and Stephanie Brown, Kim and
Rowan Noble, all of Keno, Ore. Jonnie Lynn Lanham, Alturas; Danny
and Lori Brown, Reno, Nev.; Steven and Melanie Brown, Delano,
Calif.; Lon nie and Beth Brown, John Brown and David and Jayme
Brown of Carlin, Nev.

Services for Chester David Cannon, Jr.,
a native of Al turas, will be held today at 2 p.m. at Walton
Mortuary in Su sanville. A graveside service will be held Friday,
August 6 at 2:00 p.m. at the Alturas, Calif. cemetery. The
veterans groups of Alturas will conduct the service.

Mr. Cannon was born in Alturas, Calif.
on January 25, 1927 and graduated from Modoc High School. He at
tended Lassen College in Susanville and Utah State College in
Logan, Utah. As a veteran of the U.S. Army, he served his country
during World War II as a Tech 5 and received his discharge on Nov.
19, 1946.

He and Wilma M. Porter were married in
Portland, Ore. on November 24, 1956. He had a career with the U.S.
Forest Service for 33 years. He had lived away from Modoc County
for the past 38 years, but has many friends and relatives in
Modoc.

Mr. Cannon was a member of the Northern
California Retired Foresters and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He en
joyed doing woodworking, after he retired from the Forest
Service.

He is survived by his wife Wilma of
Susanville; sons Tim and Mike Cannon; granddaughters Annie and
Sarah; grandson Jesse, all of Susanville; sister Bonnie Forsberg
of Rocklin, Calif.; niece Lynn Tatera of Elk Grove and nephew of
Antelope and numerous cousins.

Memorial contributions may be made to
the Lassen Community Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship Fund, 560 Hos
pital Lane, Susanville, CA 96130.

Dr. Harold Block had moved to Alturas in
1998 and opened "Future Care Holistic Center" and the "New Im age:
A Post-Mastectomy Shop" that helped fit women with prosthetic
devices. Prior to coming to Modoc, she had operated a holistic
health center in Clear Lake. She and her husband Bruno owned
property in the Adin area and often came to Modoc County to visit
during the summer, before they de cided to relocate to Alturas.
She loved Modoc County and was quickly welcomed into this
community. But for her health reasons, the Blocks felt it was best
to return to Clear Lake area in the Spring of 1999, closing her
businesses in Alturas.

Born December 23, 1924 in Monroe,
Louisiana to John nie and Berniece Harold, Elizabeth graduated
with outstanding grades from Carrol High School in Mon roe and
continued various educational pursuits the rest of her life. She
received a Ph.D. degree in religious psychology, a bachelor de
gree in philosophy and in 1975, she received her Or dained
Minister's license from Saint Stephens Bible College in Los
Angeles, Calif. She became the first Woman Associate Pastor at the
Ebenezer Baptist Church in San Francisco. This was a highlight
achievement of her life. Her love of Gospel music took her all
over the country. She had a lovely mezzo soprano voice and
produced her own album of songs. She had a long and diverse career
before com ing to Modoc. She had worked as a nurse for many years,
helping people every where from Beverly Hills to a VA Hospital.
She had taught folk medicine to col lege students who were go ing
into third world coun tries where they wouldn't have regular
access to medi cal care. She raised five children of her own and
also took foster children in to her home.

She is survived by her husband Bruno
Block of Hidden Valley; five chil dren and two adopted chil dren.
Her children include Joan and Tom Easley, Michelle Hutchinson,
Michelle Hunt, Elizabeth Hutchinson and Charles and Lujuane Blunt
and 10 grandchildren. Also surviv ing are two brothers Frank and
Robert Hughes, as well as many cousins.

Services will be held at the Missionary
Baptist Church in Clearlake, Calif., 3890 Emile Street on
Saturday, August 7 at 5:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Marjorie Virginia King
Price

Former Alturas resident and master
weaver Marjorie Virginia King Price, 89, passed away from
pneumonia on June 19, 1999 in Spokane, Wash.

Mrs. Price was a past president for two
years of the Al turas Garden Club in 1979 and 1980 and was instru
mental in having the Gar den Club's historic Whistle Stop Depot
listed on the Na tional Registry of Historic Buildings.

Born Marjorie V. King on May 17, 1910 in
Alhambra, she was reared in that city and married Bill Price in
1930.

Mar jorie and Bill lived in Alhambra,
Mill Valley and Albany, Calif. before moving to Alturas in 1974 to
be closer to their son Phil, his wife Pam and their
children.

Mrs. Price was devoted to her family.
While in Mill Val ley, she was a Girl Scout leader for 12 years.
She was in strumental in starting the first Mariner Girl Scout
Troop in the San Francisco area. The artistic Mrs. Price also
became a master weaver and taught weaving for many years. She won
numerous awards for her weavings. Her husband built the different
types of looms she used. She was involved with the Alturas Art
Center for many years. She was also a mem ber of the Alhambra
P.E.O., an organization which provided scholarships for women; and
belonged to the Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club and Alturas Garden
Club.

She loved to travel and traveled the
world in her later years.

Marjorie was preceded in death by her
husband Bill, her two brothers Bruce and Bill King and one sister
Gladys Nel son. She is survived by her son Phillip S. Price of Oak
Har bor, Wash.; daughter Connie Harvey of Spokane, Wash.; five
granddaughters Lesley, Nancy, Laura Julia, Heather and three
great-grandchildren Savannah, Garrett and Marshall.

At her request, there will be no
memorial services. Re membrances may be made to the Alturas Garden
Club, P.O. Box 1630, Alturas, CA 96101

John Ellis
Simpson

Funeral services for John Ellis Simpson,
87, of Alturas will be held Friday, August 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the
Federated Church in Alturas with a time of fellowship to follow in
the church hall. Dr. Ben Zandstra will conduct services.

Mr. Simpson had made Modoc County his
home for 55 years. He retired from Southern Pacific Railroad,
after working for the company for many years. He died at his
Alturas home on Wednesday, August 4, 1999. His wife Ida survives.
Burial will be at the Alturas Cemetery.

Record news
for August 12, 1999

Big fire at Lava beds
controlled

Schools getting set to
open August 26, 30

Modoc Fair getting set
for big time fun

Stew Stewart is big
time music man

City moves forward on
natural gas

Don't miss chamber's
Y2K calendar

Obit:

Dorris

Audrey Traugh
Lowell

Helen Tallman
Anderson

Big fire near Lava Beds
controlled

A large lightning-caused fire near Sheep
Camp Butte west of the Lava Beds was contained Tuesday and was
expected to be controlled by noon Wednesday, according Modoc
National Forest's Carol Sharp.

Sharp said the Sheep fire had burned 676
acres and was the largest fire on the forest. There were five
other lightning-caused fires this week, but all were one-quarter
acre or less. One near Parker Creek put up a lot of smoke, said
Sharp, but was only about a quarter-acre in size.

There were crews and engines from the
Modoc, Six Rivers, Lassen and Mendocino Forest on the Sheep
fire.

A spectacular lightning storm hit Modoc
Tuesday night. While Alturas received about a half-inch of rain,
other ar eas received smaller amounts or in some cases
none.

While the Forest Service was flying
reconnaissance Wednesday, Sharp said there did not appear to be
any major fires started from Tuesday's storm.

Summer's ending-- Schools
open August 26, 30

School in the Modoc Joint Unified School
District are set to open their doors to students August 26, which
will be a full, normal school day.

For further information contact Modoc
High School at 233-7301; Modoc Middle School at 233-7501; Alturas
Elementary School at 233-760l or the district office at
233-7201.

Modoc High School students will start at
8:20 a.m. and runs through 3:07 p.m. Modoc High School has a new
princi pal, John Nickel and Jim MacLaughlin returns as dean of
Students.

Modoc Middle School will start at 8:20
a.m. and will end at 2:50 p.m. according to Principal Steve
Iverson.

There are several schedules for Alturas
Elementary School where Randy Wise returns as principal. Morning
kindergarten goes from 8:20 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. and after noon
kindergarten goes from 11:50 a.m. to 3 p.m. Grades one through
three go from 8:25 until 2:10 p.m.. and grades four and five go
from 8:25 a.m. until 2:45 p.m.

At Arlington Elementary School,
kindergartners go from 8 .m. to 12 noon; grades one through six go
from 8 a.m. until 2:05 p.m..

South Fork Elementary kindergarten
students go from 8 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.; grades first through
sixth go until 2 p.m.

In Surprise Valley schools will open
August 30. Surprise Valley High School runs from 8 a.m. until 3
p.m. Surprise Valley kindergartners go from 8:05 a.m. until 12:20
p.m.; first through third graders go from 8:05 a.m. until 1:50
p.m. and fourth through eighth graders go from 8:05 a.m. until
2:55 p.m.

1999 run of Modoc Fair
promises new surprises, new carnival, new policies

It's none too soon to pur chase discount
tickets pre-sale for the new Carnival and big savings during the
August 19-22 Modoc District Fair in Cedarville.

Ticket sales open today for the discount
purchase of 30 tickets for $10 that can be used every day of the
fair at the Carnival. These pre-sale tickets also allow the ticket
holder the savings of one ticket per ride. Purchase pre-sale
tickets at Holiday Mar ket, Coast to Coast in Al turas; Sherer's
Chevron Ser vice, Canby; Davis Creek Mercantile, Eagleville Store,
Likely General Store and the Modoc Fair Office, Cedarville. The
fair office will remain open through lunch hours and is open 8
a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition, for Kid's Day on Friday,
August 20, a POP -pay one price, wristband can be purchased for
$10 for unlimited rides from noon until 6:00 p.m. only at the
carnival area, on Kids' Day.

Admission for Kids' Day is free for any
child 12 years and younger. Any child six years and under is
admitted free everyday of the fair run. Free admission is offered
kids six years and younger to the Stew Stewart Show and Demolition
Derby.

Modoc's Fair has several new things this
year from a new carnival, fresh, new entertainment and several new
policies.

"We have a new carnival this year that
is promising more rides, bumper cars and more games than last
year, plus some different kiddie rides," describes Jeanne Grove,
Modoc Fair Man ager.

A long-time family owned and operated
carni val of the Lopez family has contracted with this year's
Modoc Fair to bring their Pacific Coast Shows, Inc.

"Specializing in family fun," Pacific
Coast Shows always has at least one of the six member Lopez family
present and directly in charge of the carnival and food concession
operations at all times. They travel throughout California 45
weeks every year to provide their carnival midway.

It will be their first time to Modoc and
Grove is hoping for a good turnout at the car nival and for the
first time offer of pre-sale discount carnival tickets.

It's not an easy task to at tract
carnivals to the far northeastern corner of the state because of
their travel costs and the numbers at tending the local fair,
unless they can coordinate and book their visit with an additional
fair in a nearby location to make it cost effective.

"Our midway features the latest model
rides, all beau tifully lit, clean and safety inspected," offer
members of the Lopez family.

Kids' Day will feature Jerry Sanders of
J&S Roof ing and his Bass fishing boat with demonstrations of
casting in the park area and prizes for kids.

New entertainment will be announced in
coming is sues.

Another new item this year will be the
viewing and selling of a 1938-40 color video, narrated and filmed
by former Surprise Valley resident Earl Simson, who now resides in
Yuma, Ariz.

"This priceless, half hour video" says
Grove, includes Modoc's seasons, the Alturas and Likely rodeos,
the old days of haying, how Modoc looked, parades, old bucka roos,
sailing on a full Sur prise Valley lake, during a bad winter and
many more views of life in the late 1930s.

"We will be showing the video and taking
orders for copies of the video," said Grove. "We've already taken
a number of orders. The funds raised from the video sales will go
into re furbishing our old hearse and wagons."

New policies to make the fair pleasant
for all, include no dogs on the fairgrounds or midway, with the
excep tion of those leashed Thurs day for the sheep dog trials in
a specific area. No bicy cles on the fairgrounds and no in-line
skates or skate boards. All religious and po litical groups will
need to re serve a booth by calling the fair office in
advance.

Don't forget Premium Books are still
available at the Modoc Record office, 201 Carlos Street, Alturas,
Mon day through Friday, 8:30 - 5:30 and at the Modoc Dis trict
Fair office in Cedarville, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
open through the lunch hour. En tries are due August 6 for all but
perishable agriculture and floriculture entries, which are due
August 13.

Entry forms are located on the back of
the free Pre mium Books. For more in formation please call the
Modoc Fair office at (530) 279-2315.

The 1999 Fair Theme is "Modoc--Trends
and Tradi tions."

Stew Stewart to light up
grandstand

Stew Stewart has been called "One hell
of an entertainer" by Lee Greenwood and named the "Best male
entertainer in Cabaret." His band has been voted best band for
Carson-Douglas for the past two years, by the Reno
Gazette-Journal's "Best of" article.

Modoc residents can see the Stew Stewart
Show first hand at the Modoc Fair's Grandstand Show on Friday
night, August 20 at 8:00 p.m. Kemper Sound and Light Company of
northern California will provide the profes sional stage, sound
and lighting for this one-time, special show.

Presale tickets are available at The
Belligerent Duck in Al turas and at the Fair office in Cedarville.
Tickets are $8 adults; $6 children; ages six and under, free. A
ticket to the show allows free admission to the fair that day, as
well.

Stewart's career in entertainment has
spanned over 20 years. He has performed in casino's across Nevada
and over 100 State and county fairs. He entertained the armed
forces overseas in Korea in 1994 and has opened for a long list of
country's greatest and some legendary rock and roll acts like
Chuck Berry, Al Wilson, Tommy Roe, Del Shan non and more.

His newest album, "Bet your Heart" was
produced by his long-time friend Jerry Fuller. Fuller has been
writing hit songs for over 30 years. Some of his hits include
"Young Girl" made famous by Gary Pucket; "Travel 'n Man" and "It's
up to You," sung by Rick Nelson. Stewart's new record include some
of Fuller's past hits and creative new sounds.

Loraine Crosby, entertainment director
of John Ascua ga's Nugget says, "Stew is one of our most popular
enter tainers."

City goes forth on gas
project

The City of Alturas has moved forward on
a franchise agreement aimed at bringing natural gas service to
resi dents.

Tuesday night, the City Council had the
first reading of an ordinance granting a franchise to Rock Creek
Energy, LLC, of Forest Lake, Ca., for the distribution and sale of
nat ural gas within the city limits.

A required second reading of the
ordinance will be held at the council's next meeting August
24.

Rock Creek has opted to bring natural
gas service to the city and expects overall approval, including
the California Public Utilities Commission, to take about nine
months.

The council stressed that it will not
have any financial involvement or risk in the natural gas
project.

Don't miss the Chamber's
Y2K calendar

The Alturas Chamber of Commerce is
finalizing the year 2,000 version of its com munity calendar, and
re minds area residents that it's going to be a collector's
item.

The calendar is one of the fund raiders
for the Alturas Chamber and provides a list ing of local
businesses and phone numbers, and also in cludes special dates for
indi vid uals.

Many people place their birthdays,
anniversaries, event date or even "in mem ory" entries. Those
entries names are placed on the cal endar in the month and day
box.

The calendar serves as an excellent tool
to remember people's birthday or special dates.

The get on the calendar, send entries to
the Alturas Chamber of Commerce at 522 S. Main St., Alturas, Ca.
96101. The cost is $5 for the first four entries and $1 for each
addi tional entry. The cost also includes a copy of the calendar.
Make checks payable to the Alturas Chamber of Commerce. For more
information, contact the chamber at 233-4434.

Obituaries

Patricia Rose McKenney
Dorris

Patricia "Pat" Dorris died in Quincy,
California on June 6, 1999. Born in San Francisco April 11, 1934,
Pat lived for a short time in Tonapah, Nev., before moving to
Alturas in 1936, with her parents, Dr. and Mrs. J. Paul McKenney.
A brother, John, was born in Alturas to complete her immedi ate
family.

She attended local schools, graduating
with the MUHS Class of 1953 as salutatorian and a life member of
the Cali fornia Scholarship Federation. She served three terms as
Treasurer for the MUHS Student Body and was Worthy Ad visor to the
International Order of Rainbow Girls during her teen years. She
earned her AA degree from Colorado Wom en's College in 1955. She
attended the University of Califor nia, Santa Barbara, and
graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1961.

A life-long love and devotion to
children began at age 16, as Recreation Director for children's
summer activities at the Memorial Park in Alturas. Following her
marriage in 1956 to Dan Dorris, she helped with Little League
activities and served as a Girl Scout leader. She taught one year
as a long-term substitute at South Fork Elementary School, in
Likely.

Pat left Alturas, in 1958, to help her
husband obtain a col lege degree and a teaching credential. They
lived for short periods in Grass Valley and Fall River Mills.
During the ten year absence, her family grew by two children,
Nancy and Jerry. Dan taught two years in Alturas, while Pat was
active in PTA and, again, as a Girl Scout leader. The fam ily
moved to Quincy, California in 1971, where Pat lived until her
death. In Quincy, a third child, Aimee, was born to complete her
fam ily.

During the summer of 1967, while living
in Fall River Mills, Pat was active in the formation of the Blue
Lake Camp for Handicapped and remained active in the Camp
activities until 1975 when distance and other duties forced her to
stop. She regarded her work with the camp at Blue Lake as the most
important single project in which she was involved. Shortly before
leaving Alturas, she was asked to become a foster-mother for two
children. She accepted and the two ac companied her family to
Quincy. This led to accepting foster children from the Plumas
County Probation Department and, in 1973, to the formation of the
Plumas County Receiv ing Home.

In 1981, Pat and a partner, Roddy Mac,
opened Environ mental Alternatives Group Home for Boys. Over the
years, this organization has grown to 11 group homes and over 200
active foster family homes providing guidance and direc tion to
court-placed children from Central California to the Oregon
border. Ill-health forced her to curtail direct activi ties as a
foster-parent in 1994. She switched to the adminis trative level
of the organization in the payroll department and filling in as a
group home emergency administrator when needed until shortly
before her death. It is estimated that during her 23 years as a
foster parent, she gave direct care and guidance to over 400
youngsters.

She is survived by Dan, her husband of
almost 43 years; two daughters, Nancy Jane Petak, Lewisville, TX,
and Aimee Dorris, Chico, CA, and one son, Jerome Dorris of Quincy;
four grandchildren, Andrew and Rachel Petak, Lewisville, TX and
Amanda and Christopher Dorris, Quincy, and a niece and nephew,
Elizabeth Frost and Philip McKenney, both of Livermore. She was
proceeded in death by her parents, Dr. and Mrs. J. Paul McKenney
and her brother, John McKenney.

At her request, no service was held. A
Celebration of Pat's life was held at Granser Park in Quincy on
June 13.

Donations in Pat's name may be made to
the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the
Modoc County Historical Society, the Modoc Cattlewomen's Memo rial
Scholarship or a worthy organization of choice.

Helen Tallman
Anderson

Helen Tallman Anderson, 86, of
Cedarville passed away August 4, 1999 at Cedarville, Calif., where
she had been liv ing the past three years to be nearer to
family.

Born in Simms, Montana Helen Alberta
Tallman on De cember 5, 1912, she was reared in Santa Cruz, Calif.
where she graduated from high school. She married Francis "Red"
Bilodeaux in 1931 and moved to Watsonville, Calif.

During World War II she owned and
operated a restaurant in Freedom, Calif. She later became a
secretary and a police dis patcher in Atwater, Calif. She retired
from that position in 1974, when she married Mauritz "Andy"
Anderson. They moved to Grass Valley, Calif. where she lived until
1996, when she moved to Cedarville to be nearer to her family. Mr.
Anderson passed away in 1983.

Helen loved to meet new people and
befriended anyone who needed or wanted a friend. She enjoyed
gardening and visiting the sick and elderly. She will be missed by
family and all those dear friends. No services will be
held.

She is survived by her son David
Bilodeaux of Cedarville; niece Marie Tolbert of Canby; nephew
Raymond Mandel, Canby; nephew Tallman Miller of Alturas; nephew
Roger Miller; five grandchildren and eight
great-grandchildren.

Contributions in her memory may be
directed to the Sur prise Valley Hospital District, Cedarville,
CA.

Audrey Traugh
Lowell

A memorial service for former Adin
resident Audrey Traugh Lowell, 94, will be held at her beloved
Adin Commu nity Church on September 18. Mrs. Lowell passed away
July 28, 1999 in Modesto, Calif.

In the house located across from the
Adin Church, Audrey was born on February 22, 1905. She was born in
the same house where her father Arthur was born in 1877 and her
sis ter Ruth and brother Darrell were born. She was reared in
Adin. After high school, Audrey left Adin, traveling by buckboard
wagon to Madeline to catch the train to continue her education at
Stanford University with the Class of 1925.

Her grandfather Lemuel originally came
to Adin to mine gold in the 1860s and settled there. Audrey's
father Arthur ran the general store with his brother-in-law Buff
Chace.

Throughout her life, she retained her
interest in the Adin Community Bible Church. She served on the
Board of Direc tors for Stanford Children's Hospital. She was a
life member of PEO. Mrs. Lowell is survived by her son Dr. Wayne
K. Lowell of Modesto; sister Carrie Larkey of San Antonio and six
grandchildren.

Record
news summaries for August 19, 1999

Buffalo, hearing where
they roam and why

Forest receipts remain
object affliction

Search on for missing
local man

Alturas Casino set to
open in September

Modoc Fair opens
Thursday for great run

MJU opens for students
next week

Modoc treads water on
STAR test

Hit surprises Valey
couple on way home

The forecast:

Look for mostly sunny today with highs
in the upper 80s. Continued fair through Sunday with highs in the
80s and lows in the 40s.

Hearing where the buffalo
roam

On the Jarvie buffalo ranch four miles
east of Adin, UC Davis visitors have found a home where the
buffalo roam, the deer and the antelope most probably play, but in
the first few days of their research, there "nev-er was heard a
repro ductive word."

Doc Jarvie, a retired Sac-ramento
chiropractor, and his wife Danny moved to their new ranch four
miles east of Adin on Highway 299 in 1989, and began raising bison
in '91. They have a current herd of 76 head, in cluding 32
breeding cows ready this season to breed.

Having kept careful calf crop records
for each year of reproduction, Danny an swered a letter received
from Jason Wood, a first-year Ph.D. student at the Univer sity of
California, Davis, who asked to come to the ranch for research.

As communication con tinued, Wood sought
help from the UC Davis faculty, as well as retired professor Dr.
Dale Lott, in determin ing the best possible time to come to spend
a week study ing male bison vocaliza tions.

After studying reproduc tion records and
making careful calculations, Wood, Lott, Dr. Lynette Hart, pro
fessor of animal communi cation, and Dr. Caitlin O' Connell
arrived from south ern California a day before the mating season
of the herd was to begin.

They pulled up to the "Mantotucheega"
(Little Bear, or Small Bear - Jar-vie's original Shoshonee name)
Ranch, bringing an old, well-traveled van full of new,
state-of-the-art record ing equipment.

"What brought us here was Jason's
project," ex plained Hart. "We were very interested in recording
the bellows of the male buf falo that are produced only during the
time of mating.

"And Dale is the person who knows all
about the se quence in courtship and how that evolves, and Danny
keeps very careful records each year of when the young animals
arrive. So by count ing back, Dale was able to say the day to
arrive here, to be here early in the courtship period."

"This is the beginning of a totally new
project," she continued. "There're al ways lots of big surprises,
and they're already here," she laughed.

The team arrived ready to record male
bellows, and instead found a herd of "silent lovers", as described
by their owner, Danny.

"We've heard them be fore," she
chuckled. "It's re ally hard to tell why they are so quiet now.
We've been in the house during other sea sons, and they've been as
far away as they can get, and we still hear them during their
mating."

After days spent out on the range,
recording and ob serving the herd from the tight confines of their
"little ol' van", the research team decided to play back to the
buffalo audio recordings made previously by Lott dur ing studies
of herds on a western Montana buffalo range during mating sea son.

"When they heard the loud bellows that
we played back to them," Wood ex plained, "they just really re
acted. It was incredible. The females all came over in a big herd
with the young bulls, and the males became increasingly
excited."

"What happened," Hart continued, "is
that the ani mals are just quietly graz ing, standing there doing
nothing. Then the loud recorded bellows begin to roll through the
range, and the animals begin a very strong reaction.

"The males suddenly ini-tiate strong
sexual activ ity, fighting amongst them selves, seeking out the fe
males, and in general being very excited," she ex plai-ned.

"This is interesting from a ranching
point of view," added Wood. "If ranchers are having a problem with
fertility rates, this might be something they could do to 'get the
mood going'", he laughed.

The team later played a loud CD of rock
music, per formed by The Grateful Blond, as a control test, to see
if the bison would respond as they did when hearing the
bellows.

"When we played that, they just turned
around to look at us," explained Wood, "wondering what in the
world was going on. They were curious about it, but there was no
reaction, no ex citement as there was when they heard the
bellows."

Wood is remaining on the ranch eight or
nine days, to simultaneously record thr-ough a microphone and
geo-phone, as well as docu ment visually, mating sounds and
behavior of the herd.

"We might not succeed in getting them to
bellow," laughed Hart. "But if we are able to say very clearly
that these recorded bellows have the effect of causing all these
behaviors, that will be a dramatic finding - a very striking
finding.

"Nothing like that has ever been
documented in a large mammal before any where," she added.

The professors left during the weekend,
leaving Wood to continue his geophone-mi crophone vigil from his
old, inherited van, before the long trip back home, and a huge job
of information as sessment.

What to do with timber re
ceipts

In the discussion currently going on
about National Forest timber receipts to local gov ernments, one
thing is clear in Modoc, the gravy train is derailed.

Actually, Modoc has bene fited greatly
from a safety net, strangely enough, thanks to the spotted owl.
Modoc, as well as other spotted owl-affected counties, were guaran
teed a certain percentage of timber receipts based upon
pre-spotted owl timber production. Those payments were not
directly, and thankfully, tied to timber receipts.

Historically, local gov ernments with
fed eral land had been receiving 25 percent of the forest receipts
generated within their bound aries. For Modoc, which is over 70
per cent federally owned, that amounted to huge chunks of funds.
The county splits the 25 per cent equally between county roads and
schools.

With the demise of the tim ber industry,
the amount of actual forest receipts has dropped dramatically. In
Modoc, for instance, the days of big timber harvests, as high as
63 million board feet in the mid-80s, has plum meted to about 10
million board feet this year.

The Spotted Owl safety net has been very
helpful to Modoc and other such counties. For instance, in 1998,
the Modoc National Forest collected about $4.8 million in
receipts. Had the 25 percent level been used, Modoc would have re
ceived about $1 million in for est re ceipts. Because of the
spotted owl safety net, the county received nearly double that,
$1.9 million. In 1997, the picture was pretty much the same and
the forest collected $5.8 million and the county received just
over $2 million. If the actual 25 percent for mula had been used,
the county would have received about $1.1 million.

On the table from the Clinton
Administration now is a plan to "guarantee" the levels of forest
receipts to each county, without that level be ing tied to actual
timber pro duction. While it sounds good at the onset, many
counties are fighting the idea. It's probable that Modoc's share
of guarantee would be on the high end of its average re ceipts,
about $2 million annu ally.

The Forest Service is call ing the new
plan "decoupling" meaning county road and school budgets will no
longer fluctuate with the timber har vest. Counties have developed
a hate-trust relationship with the federal gov ernment and don't
trust any statement that says the Feds will guarantee payments.
Local govern ments generally point to the Payment in Lieu of Taxes
(PILT) program. Most state that counties do not get the full
amount owed by the Feds.

In addition, local govern ments fear
that severing the tie to timber and forest re ceipts would cripple
their ability to influence what goes on on federal lands within
their bound aries.

Statewide Forest receipts have dropped
from a high in 1990 of $66.9 million, to $30.5 million in 1998.
The Forest Service projects payments to California of about $70
mil lion annually.

A amendment to the bill by Oregon
Representative Peter DeFazio would guaran tee counties payments
equal to the average of their three highest payments since 1985.
Counties are still arguing that the receipts should be tied to
timber and if the actual re ceipts are higher than the guarantee,
county's should get the higher of the two options.

While many local people believe there
should be more logging on the Modoc National Forest, thinking the
levels would ever return to the 1980s logging years is ask ing too
much. Forest officials do not see tim ber harvest levels getting
near the 60 million board feet level on any sus tainable basis.

While there are salvage and thinning pro
jects in the works, big sales of green tim ber just don't appear
often in the picture.

Search on for missing local
man

Local law enforcement is seeking the
location of an Alturas man missing since July 31, where he was
seen in Bodega Bay, California.

Ronnie L. Ryno, age 45, was last seen in
Alturas July 29, 1 p.m. He's described as five-feet-six inches
tall, weighing between 145-160 pounds, with brown hair and brown
eyes. He has a full beard graying at the temples. He is an avid
outdoorsman who works at the Modoc Wildlife Refuge.

He was last seen driving a bronze/brown
1988 Isuzu Trooper, license plate 2LMW250.

Anyone with any informa tion about
Ryno's whereabouts is asked to contact the Modoc Sheriff's Office
at 530-233-4416.

New Casino to open
soon

By Matt Hamilton

The new Indian gaming casino, known as
the Alturas Casino is currently on schedule to open the second
week of September.

According to General Manager Joseph
Fisher the casino is still on schedule to open.

Inside the tiny casino is a good number
of bingo machines not yet in working order.

Though the casino is not totally
finished, the set up and array of bingo machines almost makes the
tiny room look like part of a much larger casino.

Recent opposition to the opening of the
casino from the Wildlife Refuge Manager Anna Marie LaRosa among a
num ber of other locals, has threatened to slow down the opening
of the casino.

According to Fisher, LaRosa claims that
the pres ence of the casino will disturb the birds' natural en
vironment at the refuge.

Also according to Fisher, and brought up
by Supervisor Patricia Cantrall as well as Fisher in Tuesday's
board meet ing, LaRosa is trying to per suade the tribe to give up
their ex isting land and move the casino to an alternate piece of
land, pos sibly closer to Highway 395.

Despite this offer for an alternate spot
for the casino, Fisher has said that the tribe will not move from
the land where their ancestors have lived for so many
years.

Also according to Fisher, many steps
have been made to not disturb the birds that make their home at
the refugee.

One such step was to put in low
intensity lighting so not to bother the birds at night.

Fisher even stated that the casino is
well within the law which states that the casino must be at lest
25 feet from the refugee fence. It turns out that the actually
distance from the casino to the fence is 100 feet, well over the
required limit.

Opposition or not Fisher and the tribe
say they will open as scheduled.

It will be the Last Frontier Fair and
the last fair of the millennium, with a new carnival, fresh new
enter tainment and several new policies for fairgoers when Modoc
District Fair, offi cially opens tonight at 5 p.m. in Cedarville
for its August 19 - 22 run.

It will also be Jeanne Grove's last year
as Fair Manager, as she has an nounced her decision to move on and
make some changes in her life for the year 2000.

A long-time family owned and operated
carni val of the Lopez family has contracted with this year's
Modoc Fair to bring their Pacific Coast Shows, Inc.

It will be their first time to Modoc and
Grove is hoping for a good turnout at the car nival and for the
first time offer of pre-sale discount carnival tickets, offering
30 rides for $10, which are available until 5 p.m. today, at Coast
to Coast, Sherer's in Canby, Likely General Store, Eagleville
Store, Hol iday Market, Davis Creek Mercantile and the fair of
fice. These tickets are us able throughout the fair's run.

It's not an easy task to at tract
carnivals to the far northeastern corner of the state because of
their travel costs, distance and lower at tendance numbers at
smaller fairs.

"Our midway features the latest model
rides, all beau tifully lit, clean and safety inspected," offer
members of the Lopez family.

Kids' Day Friday will feature Jerry
Sanders of J&S Roof ing and his Bass fish ing boat with
demonstra tions of casting in the park area and prizes for kids.

Plenty of new entertain ment from
comedians to musicians will be perform ing at the fair.

Another new item this year will be the
viewing and selling of a 1938-40 color video, narrated and filmed
by former Surprise Valley resident Earl Simson, who now resides in
Yuma, Ariz.

"This priceless, half hour video" says
Grove, includes Modoc's seasons, the Alturas and Likely rodeos,
the old days of haying, how Modoc looked, parades, old bucka roos,
sailing on a full Sur prise Valley lake, during a bad winter and
many more views of life in the late 1930s.

"We will be showing the video and taking
orders for copies of the video," said Grove. "We've already taken
a number of orders. The funds raised from the video sales will go
into re furbishing our old hearse and wagons."

New policies to make the fair pleasant
for all, include no dogs on the fairgrounds or midway, with the
excep tion of those leashed Thurs day for the sheep dog trials in
a specific area. No bicy cles on the fairgrounds and no in-line
skates or skate boards.

This first day of the fair offers free
admission for ev eryone on August 19. Friday is free admission day
for kids 12 and under for the Kids' Day fun and Pay One Price $10
wristband for un limited rides on the midway from noon to 6 p.m.
Stew Stewart will headline the grandstand show at 8 p.m. A ticket
to the show entitles the holder to free admission through the fair
gates for the day.

Senior Citizens Day is Saturday, Aug. 21
where those 60 years and over have free admission. The Demo lition
Derby starts at 7:30 p.m. at the track. A dance featuring
Heartless will run from 10 p.m. - 1 a.m. in the dance hall.

Sunday, Aug. 22 will start the morning
with a parade at 10:45 a.m. in Cedarville fol lowing the "Modoc
-Trends and Traditions" theme.

Regular admission prices are $3 adults;
$2 senior citi zens; $2 children; free for ages six and under
every day. The carnival will be open everyday of the fair's
run.

See the fair advertisement for scheduled
times, events.

Kids preparing as last week
of their vacation nears end

The last week of summer for students in
the Modoc Joint Unified School District starts today. A little too
soon for some, perfect for others. Many parents are
rejoicing.

Modoc High School students will start at
8:20 a.m. and run through 3:07 p.m. Modoc High School has a new
princi pal, John Nickel and Jim MacLaughlin returns as Dean of
Students. The projected enrollment for the high school this year
is 343 including 30 on independent study pro grams.

Modoc Middle School will start at 8:20
a.m. and will end at 2:50 p.m. said Principal Steve Iverson. The
middle school expects 250 students. While the enrollment is down
from previous years, it is about level with last year.

There are several schedules for Alturas
Elementary School where Randy Wise returns as principal. Morning
kindergarten goes from 8:20 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. and after noon
kindergarten goes from 11:50 a.m. to 3 p.m. Grades one through
three go from 8:25 until 2:10 p.m.. and grades four and five go
from 8:25 a.m. until 2:45 p.m.

The projected enrollment for AES is 384,
down from the spring's projection. Wise expects to see more
students enrolled by the time the doors open next week. In the not
too distant past, AES maintained an average of about 480 students.
The big drop in enrollment is a major concern for Wise.

At Arlington Elementary School,
kindergartners go from 8 a.m. to 12 noon; grades one through six
go from 8 a.m. until 2:05 p.m.

South Fork Elementary kindergarten
students go from 8 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.; grades first through
sixth go until 2 p.m.

For further information contact Modoc
High School at 233-7301; Modoc Middle School at 233-7501; Alturas
Elementary School at 233-760l, or the district office at
233-7201.

In Surprise Valley, schools will open
August 30. Surprise Valley High School runs from 8 a.m. until 3
p.m. Surprise Valley kindergartners go from 8:05 a.m. until 12:20
p.m.; first through third graders go from 8:05 a.m. until 1:50
p.m. and fourth through eighth graders go from 8:05 a.m. until
2:55 p.m.

MJU treads water in STAR
testing

The Modoc Joint Unified School District
fared well in the new (STAR) Standardized Testing and Reporting
System adopted last year. However, the schools failed to improve
their scores compared to last year.

In fact in several subjects as well as
grade levels, students scoring at or above the 50th percentile
declined from last year's scores. With the exception of
mathematics, stu dents failed to improve their scores.

But even though scores have declined
from the previ ous year the school district showed good
improvement scoring at or above the state norm in almost every
subject as well as grade level. The 11th grade test scores, which
declined dras tically when compared to 1998 scores, did not match
up to the state, scoring better than the state in only two cate
gories- science and total reading.

The other grades, especially grades
second through fifth show good improvement testing at or above the
rest of the state with exception to the sixth grade which failed
to score above the state norm in reading, math, language, and
spelling. Also sixth grade scores declined from the previous year,
along with the 4th, 8th, 10th, and 11th grades.

What can explain this decline in scores?
According to the new interim Superintendent Don Demsher,
Elementary School Principal Randy Wise, and Middle School
Principal Steve Iverson, there are many factors that effect test
results. The three educators believe one very large factor is the
lack of age appropriate questions and con cepts in regard to
California's required curricu lum for its students. They believe
that the curriculum that is taught and required by the state does
not go hand in hand with the STAR test.

Demsher, Wise, and Iverson agree that
the STAR scores the School District re ceived are not consistently
getting better. They even make the assumption that 40% of the stu
dents tested did not take or have the opportunity to take classes
that might have covered material on the STAR test. Basically, the
test needs to match the teaching and right now it does not. The
three educators support state testing de spite it's downfalls.
They make it clear that this is a fairly new testing system that
has not been perfected yet. But in the future, such standardized
testing, like the STAR test, will act as an important gauge to see
if schools and teachers are helping to educate their students in
the right direction.

Hit surprises Valley couple
on way home

Be aware and keep eyes open for moving
objects over Cedar Pass on the way to the fair.

Last Wednesday night, Florence and
Richard Hough of Surprise Valley physically ran into a mountain
lion that crossed in front of their vehicle near the cinder
storage and road mainte nance warehouse on Cedar Pass.

Their daughter Sara Channel described
the lion as "very big, heavy and tall" with its legs lifting from
the ground and coming up onto the front of their vehicle.

The Hough's vehicle struck the animal
hard in the head, but it still got up and wobbled off to the side
of the road and disappeared into the black of the night. Channel
called Department of Fish and Game the follow ing afternoon, and a
check of the area was made, says Dept. Fish & Game Area Di
rector Bob Schaefer; but no mountain lion was found.

"We became concerned because it wasn't
that far from Cedar Pass Camp ground," said Channel. "We just
thought people should know in case its still alive."

Over the years in their passage from
Alturas to Sur prise Valley, her surprised parents have hit a
deer, a cow and now the mountain lion, which leaves them all to
wonder, "What's left? A bear?" says daughter Sara.

Record
news for august 26, 1999

Lightning blasts Modoc
forests again

Cal Pines logging done
for safety

Welfare reform could be
part of declining enrollment

State court rebuffs
Prop 5, Alturas casino okay

Modoc fair run said to
be smooth

MJU struggles to find
substitute teachers

Balloonfest gearing up
for September

Obituary:

Meredith
Freeman

Lightning blasts Modoc forests
again

A severe lightning storm over the
weekend sparked sev eral wildland fires in northeastern
California, including more that creating very dark, smoke-filled
skies in the county.

According to the Chuck McElwain, MNF,
the biggest of the local fires is in the Lone Pine Butte area on
the Doublehead Ranger District near Mowitz Butte. That fire,
actually a cluster of four fires had burned about 400 acres Monday
and was causing some concern. It had burned about 4,000 acres by
Tuesday. Much of that fire was burning in a fire management unit.
As of Wednesday morning, that fire was estimated at 6,000
acres.

Another large fire at Yellow Butte, east
of the Lava Beds was also causing grave concerns as shifting winds
keep firefighters moving. That fire had burned about 125 acres by
Monday. By Tuesday noon, the Yellow Fire had charred 3,000 acres
and was out of control.

As of Tuesday night, the fire was
actively burning with 30 to 100 foot flames . Weather conditions
were expected to play a major role in the behavior of fires. With
low humidity and high temperatures, the fire's rate of spread
could pose a challenge.

"Right now everyone's is stretched
pretty thin so it's diffi cult to get the resources to fight these
fires," said McElwain. "Everyone around us was hit hard by the
lightning and all the crews are busy."

In addition to the big fires, Modoc had
a two-acre fire near Jess Valley, a 50-acre fire in the Big Sage
Fire Management Unit, and one fire near Dry Creek Rim on the
Oregon border of about two acres.

Two fires were started by lightning in
the South Warner Wilderness. Smoke jumpers responded to the one in
Raider Canyon, but another near Bald Mountain is burning and will
probably be left to burn itself out in the rocks.

By Wednesday morning, most of the
lightning caused fires on the Modoc Forest were contained. The
Pine and Yellow fires were still creating most of the
problems.

According to the Susanville Interagency
Fire Center, more than 50 fires were reported after Sunday night.
Most of those fires were small.

As of mid-morning Monday, there were 13
fires reported in the area northwest of Bieber; seven fires on the
Hat Creek Ranger District and five on the Eagle Lake Ranger
District. Two fires were reported on Bureau of Land Management
lands on the Madeline Plains.

Local fire officials are stressing that
people be extremely careful with fire in the back country.

Lightning activity the evening of August
23 resulted in 16 fires in the Lakeview area. Most of them were
smaller fires. Several engines and crews from the Fremont Forest
were sent to the Modoc Forest to assist with suppression
efforts.

Highway 139 at Willow Creek Valley has
been closed as a 3,100 acre fire on both sides of the highway
burned brush and trees. The fire is burning on land managed by the
BLM and some private land. There have been no structures
damaged.

As of Wednesday morning, the Willow
Creek fire had burned 5,300 acres and was some 30 percent
contained. There were 15 engines, 15 ground crews, nine bulldozers
and two helicopters committed to the fire. In total about 400
people are battling the blaze. Firefighters are dealing with
erratic winds and extreme fire behavior.

Crews were working Tuesday morning on
the 200-acre Annie Fire near Ft. Bidwell. On Tuesday it was 20
percent contained. On Wednesday, that fire had grown to 600 acres,
but was about 25 percent contained.

Cal Pines logging op eration for
safety

The current logging op era tion in
California Pines is go ing along well, and has the approval of the
California Pines Property Owners Association and is monitored by
the California Department of Forestry.

Actually, according to California Pines
On-Site Administrator Dave Davison, the CDF recom mended the
current thin ning and salvage operation as a method to re duce
what it called a severe fire danger.

The logging is being done in the
Greenbelt, an area owned by the CPPOA, not in dividual landowners.
According to Davison, the logging operation currently un derway by
Cascade Resources Consultants, Inc., of Burney is following the
letter of the law and strict for est plans and guidelines.

"I am very pleased with the logging
operation, they're do ing a great job," said Davison this week, in
response to a couple of Letters to the Editor printed in last
week's Modoc Record. Those letters were critical of the logging
opera tion. "Unfortunately, some people just don't come in and ask
questions and get an swers before they make com ments."

In the not-too-distant past, a company
named Thena, Inc., came into California Pines and eventually was
cited and convicted of a va riety of fed eral charges stemming
from its logging operation.

"The Property Owners Association was
certainly not go ing to let that happen again," said Davison.
"This logging is being done partly because the CDF came to us and
suggested the area needed to be thinned because it was a major
fire danger. We be lieve by the time this project is finished, the
people will be very pleased."

According to Mike Goodner, the
Registered Professional Forester on the project for Cascade
Resources, the company is committed to doing the job well and is
pleased with the progress so far.

"Yes, there are slash piles around
Rainbow Pond, and they're there because the dry ing," said
Goodner. "Once they dry, we're going to chip them and haul them
out. We're not finished in that area and when we are, it's go ing
to be park-like."

Goodner said the harvest plan for the
area was written and approved two years ago and is consistent with
forest health needs.

He said the company is taking out trees
averaging about 10 inches in diameter, but has taken out trees
that are bigger. The trees being re moved are being removed to
complement the forest thin ning or because of the tree's health
and Goodner said the company is leaving as much pine and cedar as
possible.

According to Davison, the forest plan
and the harvest ing plan was presented to the CPPOA Board and
every thing has been approved. Nothing, he said, was done under
the table or behind closed doors. The discus sions were in open
sessions of the board.

Goodner said the com pany is pleased
with the progress to date, realizing that logging operations are
messy by their very nature when in full swing. Once the clean-up
is com plete, the for est will look and be much healthier. It will
also be much safer in case of fire. He said he would be happy to
answer questions from the letter-writers.

Goodner said he expects the logging
operation, which started in June, to continue for three to four
more weeks.

Welfare may play part in AES stu dent
de cline

The big drop in enroll ment for Alturas
Elementary School re cently is a major concern for school
officials.

The projected enrollment for AES this
year is 384, almost 100 fewer students from the average maintained
by AES of 480 students per year.

With funding being $4,363 per student,
the school district faces to lose almost a total of $436,300 this
year.

One possible reason for the recent drop
in enrollment could be the Welfare Reform Act.

According to Richard Belarde, Social
Services Director in Alturas, it is not certain yet that the
decline in enrollment is caused by wel fare reform. Belarde and
his staff are planning to meet with the school district and will
request that the school district release the names of the children
withdrawn from school, to see if any of the in stances are welfare
re lated.

Welfare reform is already two-and-a-half
years into its program, with only a five year limit. After five
years, welfare recipients must find work or be totally cut off
from welfare. With other towns' economies being far better than
Alturas in terms of finding entry level positions with an op
portunity to work up from that position, Belarde believes
enrollment in schools, as well as the town's population, will
drop.

Superintendent Don Demsher and Alturas
Elementary School Principal Randy Wise believe that the Welfare
Reform Act is a major reason for the decline in enrollment.

Demsher believes that the new projection
of enrollment shows enrollment to drop as many as 35-40 more
students. Despite these drastic declines, Demsher predicts that
the school district will make up at least half or more of the en
rollment lost.

There are many new en rollments into the
elementary school, as well as enrollment being up in both the
middle school and the high school. Demsher makes the assump tion
that even though there is a pattern of losing enrollment be tween
kindergarten and the third grade, enrollment will only be down
20-25 students in the near future.

In fact, according to Wise at least half
a dozen students from the Cal Pines area want to enroll in
kindergarten here in Alturas. But surprisingly these children are
being turned away to Arlington Elementary in Can by, CA.

The reason for this is fund ing. Recent
figures from Wise show that he will be close to 20 children per
class, and ac cording to the state if those classes go anywhere
above 20, then funding is lost for all 20 students. Recent
projections for enrollment on August 25th put the school at 390,
an in crease form the previous pro jections but still far away
from the 480 average from years prior to this one.

The problem is that some of these
children being turned away, or at least one, al ready have
brothers or sisters en rolled in Alturas Elementary and have been
there since kindergarten.

This is bound to make many families not
very happy come the start of the new school year. But nothing will
be for sure until after Labor Day when final numbers and class
sizes are finished.

School starts Thursday, August 26th.
Modoc High School students will start at 8:20 a.m. and go until
3:07 p.m.

Modoc Middle School will start at 8:20
a.m. and will end at 2:50 p.m.

There are several schedules for Alturas
Elementary School. Morning Kindergarten goes from 8:20 a.m. to
11:40 a.m. and afternoon Kindergarten goes from 11:50 a.m. to 3
p.m. Grades one through three go from 8:25 a.m. until 2:10 p.m.,
and grades four and five go from 8:25 a.m. until 2:45 p.m.

South Fork Elementary Kindergarten
students go from 8 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.; grades first through
sixth go until 2 p.m.

In Surprise Valley, schools will open
August 30. Surprise Valley High School runs from 8 a.m. until 3
p.m. Surprise Valley Kindergarten runs from 8:05 a.m. until 12:20
p.m.; first through third graders go from 8:05 a.m. until 1:50
p.m. and fourth through eighth graders go from 8:05 a.m. un til
2:55 p.m.

Prop. 5 decision not ex pected to
affect Alturas Indian Casino

The California Supreme Court ruled on
August 23,1999 that Proposition 5, the gambling initiative that
would have le galized Las Vegas style gambling in Indian Gaming
Casinos, is unconstitu tional.

Under Proposition 5, Indian Gaming
Casinos would be al lowed to operate black jack games and slot
machines, oth er wise known as Las Vegas/Atlantic City style gam
bling.

The good news, if anything from this
failure of Prop. 5, is that the local tribe here in Modoc County
is still set to open their doors in the second week of September.
In fact Prop. 5 does not affect the Alturas Casino at all, be ing
that it is a class two Casino, which con tains legal machines
otherwise know as bingo ma chines.

According to Joe Fisher, General Manager
of the Alturas Casino, many people expected this proposition to
fail, so it was not a big shock when it did. Fisher can only hope
for the best as the Casinos strive to get the ini tiative back on
the ballot in March of 2000.

The proposition would have allowed 40
tribes to continue using video slot machines, which generate 70
percent of rev enue at these casinos. Also another 107 California
tribes were set to open casino with video gambling as well as card
games, if the proposition would have passed.

Many casinos, including 10 in the Los
Angeles area al ready offer blackjack and other prohibited games.
Now be cause of the Supreme Court's ruling, federal prosecutors
can move in on these casino oper ating these il legal games in six
weeks.

The Court ruled against Prop. 5 in a 6-1
ruling. The main reason was because it vio lated a 1984 State
Constitutional ban on casinos similar to those in Nevada and New
Jersey.

Proposition 5 was only adopted as a
statue and could not supersede the constitu tional ban.

Now tribes and their sup porters are
quickly positioning themselves to get the ini tiative back on the
ballot in March of 2000, but this time as an amendment.

Even aides to Gov. Gray Davis say that
the governor will seek to negotiate a consti tu tional amendment
on Indian gambling that could be placed on the ballot by the
Legislature.

Modoc Fair run called
'smooth'

The 1999 Modoc District Fair closed a
"smooth" four-day run August 22, accord ing to Jeanne Grove, outgo
ing Modoc Fair Man ager, who said she thought the crowds were
equal to or better than last year.

A total of $3,850 in carni val pre-sale
tick ets helped in promoting this year's Pa cific Coast Shows
carnival. "I think once people get used to the pre-sale ticket
concept for the carnival it will get even better. But for the
first year, we were happy with the figures," said Grove. "I think
our commercial [building] people were happy and I know Kid's Day
was good. Jerry Sanders of Al turas was a hit and had a very
attentive crowd for the two hours he taught kids how to cast and
talked about bass fishing. He gave away lots of fishing
poles.

"I was really pleased with the entertain
ment and ex hibits and we can thank the Boy Scouts of Troop 48 for
keeping the grounds clean throughout the fair's run."

Modoc County Sheriff Bruce Mix led the
Sunday morning parade. Look for results inside this issue.

Horseshow, ranchers day and junior rodeo
results will be listed as they are avail able next week.

The Fair Board is cur rently
interviewing four from a pool of eight candi dates for the po
sition of Fair Manager. Three candidates are "local" and one is
from out of the area. A decision will be made after the next Board
meeting and the an nouncement is expected to be made public after
September 7. Grove will work with the new manager through the
month of September.

MJU struggles to find qualified
substitutes

As part of an emergency measure by the
Modoc Joint Unified School Dis trict many substitutes were hired
from the sub stitute pool who have ei ther not taken or passed the
California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST).

According to Superintendent Don Demsher,
the dis trict was in great need of sub stitute teachers.

The school had to take ac tion within
the law to hire sub stitutes who are not yet qualified according
to whether they have taken the CBEST test.

Demsher states that there are many steps
being taken to match the substitutes to classes by management
skills and subject area.

Demsher believes that just because the
substitutes hired are not qualified by the CBEST, doesn't mean
that they will not do a good job and does not mean that they
failed the test. Demsher states that many of the substitutes have
not had the opportunity to even take the CBEST yet.

Regardless of whether the substitutes
hired are CBEST qualified or not, Demsher states that there is no
long term basis for the subs who have not taken the proper steps
to be come qualified.

In other School Board busi ness a
proposal to move a bus stop located on Highway 299 at the Kelly
Ranch to County road 75 was approved by the board.

The bus stop at Kelly Ranch was
complained about due to poor visibility for on coming traffic and
not enough parking space for more than one vehicle at a time.

The new bus stop at County Road 75 will
be at the same site where children are dropped off in the
afternoons.

Volunteer to help Wrymoo for Balloon
fest

Friends of Wrymoo Rail road Museum
encourage the public to take part in the Al turas Balloonfest
which will be launched at the museum on Saturday, Sept. 18.

Now is the time to reserve a space to
sell items or rum mage that Saturday. Space will be available for
vendors or the public to sell items on eight foot table spaces,
cur rently available for $10 from Wrymoo.

If inter ested contact Mar cella An
dreasen, 233-2576 or the Al turas Chamber of Commerce at 233-4434
for ap plication and set up times.

The Alturas Chamber of Commerce plans to
hold the Balloonfest for two days Sept. 18-19. The Chamber is
planning a pancake break fast. Alturas FFA will pro vide a
barbecue meal.

Wrymoo is seeking members and volunteers
who might be interested in providing train rides, infor mation or
staffing a mem bership booth or gift shop plus a bake sale from 7
a.m. - 1:00 p.m. September 18. Anyone who wants to help may con
tact Jill Porter at 233-5746 or Marcella at 233-2576.

The next Friends of Wrymoo Board meeting
will be held Friday, Sept. 3 at 7:00 p.m. in Plumas Bank's con
ference room, Main Street, Alturas. Anyone who would like to
attend is welcome.

Obituary:

Meredith
Freeman

Long-time Modoc County resident
Meredith Freeman passed away August 3, 1999 at Modoc Medical
Center, Alturas, Calif. A memorial service for Mr. Freeman will be
held Monday, August 30, at 10:00 a.m. at Modoc Medical Center's
Skilled Nursing Facility with Pastor Rod Bodmer officiating the
service.

Meredith was a native of the Golden
State born on September 1, 1920 in Southern California and moved
to the Modoc area when he was a small child. The former Alturas
business owner enjoyed the out doors, horse training and spending
time with his significant other, Rose Snodgrass. He would have
turned 79 on September 1. He is survived by three sons, Frank,
John and Rowdy Freeman of Alturas.

September

Record
news summaries for Sept. 2, 1999

Fires finally
controlled, restrictions in effect

Alturas Casino to open
doors Friday

Tobacco use dipping in
Modoc

Beetle causes
quarantine on some hay

Alturas Railroad
Academy set for January opening

Tulelake Fair tickets
selling briskly

Wrymoo getting set for
1999 Balloonfest

The forecast:

Sunny skies today with highs in the
lower 70s. Some clouds Friday but the temperatures start to warm.
Lows 30s and 40s and highs upper 60s to mid 80s.

Fires controlled, fire
restrictions in place

Fires burned over tens of thousands of
acres in northeast ern California last week, but all are now under
control. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management im
posed restrictions on campfires and other uses of fire in the
wildlands.

Cold rain storms the first part of this
week could ease those fire restrictions, depending upon the amount
of mois ture the area receives.

Under the restrictions, which affected
public lands in Modoc, Lassen and the Eagle Lake and Surprise
Valley ar eas, campfires can be used only in fire rings or stoves
pro vided in recreation sites or in posted campsites and camp
grounds. Portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum and
pressurized liquid fuel are exempt from the restriction. Internal
combustion engines can only be used on estab lished roads and
trails and smoking is allowed only within enclosed vehicles or
developed recreation sites.

On Monday, the Yellow Pine Complex Fire
on the Modoc National Forest near Clear Lake and the Lava Beds was
de clared contained. Fire crews used a "burnout" started at 11
a.m. on Sunday for the Pine Fire and it continued through the
night. Those backfires were set about 300 feet from con structed
firelines.

The Yellow Fire was declared controlled
August 30 and the Pine Fire was 50 percent contained. Monday's
cool tem peratures and variable rainfall helped douse the Pine
Fire. Night time temperatures were in the 30's with high humidi
ties.

The winds Sunday presented a challenge
to firefighters as they were erratic and at times strong enough to
blow burn ing material across the line and start spot
fires.

On Sunday, 24 loads of retardent were
dropped on the Pine Fire along with numerous helicopter water
drops to reinforce the fireline and cool down some hot spots. The
Pine Fire is burning in the Big Sage Fire Management Unit and is
esti mated at about 30,000 acres. Fire officials suspect the
burnouts will stop the fire within the fire management area
boundaries.

The Yellow Fire was contained at
4,669 acres.

The Willow Fire in the north end of
Willow Creek Valley, about 20 miles north of Susanville was
contained at 7,000 acres August 29. On Sunday, the fire was nearly
out but crews were still mopping up and hitting some still smolder
ing areas. A helicopter was dropping water on several hot spots
Sunday afternoon near Highway 139.

The Badger Fire, in the Sheldon National
Wildlife Refuge, was contained at 40,896 acres Sunday and
controlled by Monday. Mop up operations on that fire continued
Tuesday.

Mike Weltch the Incident Commander for
the Yellow Pines Complex said with 425 personnel committed to the
fires, working long hours for many days under dangerous
conditions, it is commendable that there have been no major
injuries or accidents.

Firefighting resources continue to be
scheduled for demo bilization and are being made available for
other assign ments throughout the west. California is still very
dry and is experiencing shortages of firefighting resources. While
it currently may be wet on the Modoc National Forest, fire sea son
remains open and will continue for some time, accord ing to
Weltch.

Alturas Casino opens
Friday

The new Indian gaming casino, at the
Alturas Rancheria, is set to open this Friday, September 3 at 3
p.m.

The three games that will be played and
operated are Mega Mania, Big Cash Bingo and Evergreen Bingo.

Each machine, including the machines at
Alturas Rancheria, is connected to a huge network in Oklahoma that
involves the State of California, New Mexico, Arizona and many
more.

According to Gary Miller, Region Manager
of Multimedia Games, Inc. in California, Arizona and New Mexico,
Mega Mania is a class two Reno-style Bingo gaming machine con
nected to other players in a vast network of Indian
Casinos.

Mega Mania works like this. When the
game starts, balls are displayed to players three at a time. A
"Daub Cards" button appears on the screen. When this button is
pushed the players' cards are daubed on the screen. The player
must then decide whether to drop any or all of his/her cards
before the eight second timer expires.

The game ends when a player, or players
whose cards have a valid straight-line bingo when the winning ball
is called, press the daub cards button to declare him/her a win
ner. Mega Mania is set to have a $10,000 Jackpot, which grows from
a percentage of sales from each game that is not claimed.

Big Cash Bingo is another linked bingo
game in which players try to "bingo" on any of 14 patterns: Any
straight line bingo pattern (12 ways), Four Corners (one way) and
a small diamond (one way). Players who "bingo" in four drawn num
bers win a jackpot prize of $2,500.

Evergreen Bingo is a high-speed
electronic bingo game, that looks like a 3 reel slot. The player
must match one cor ner on a standard five-by-five bingo card.
Jackpot for Evergreen Bingo is $2,500.

To play any of the games you must first
open an account by paying a cashier the amount the player chooses
to have credited to his or her account. The cashier enters the
amount paid by the player into the point of sale computer and
gives the player a receipt with a six-digit account identification
number to enter. The player enters this number into the ma chine
which will display the amount in the player's account. The player
may then join the next available game.

According to manager Joe Fisher, the
Casino is set to be open seven days a week from 3 p.m.-11 p.m. and
currently employs 7 people. On Friday night a coupon book can be
purchased for $10, and contains $20 worth of credit to play the
machines.

Tobacco use on the de
cline

Recent figures from the Modoc County
Health Department's Tobacco Program show that overall to bacco use
for the county has declined dras tically by 60%.

According to Outreach Assistant Bill
Hall, the decline in tobacco use has almost doubled compared to
last year.

Despite such a huge de crease in tobacco
use for the county, the biggest population of smokers remains to
be teenagers, ages 14-19.

Even with tobacco indus tries focusing
on teenage smokers as a big part of their sales, Hall believes
that many teenagers are now making the decision to try and quit.

According to information provided by
Hall, the tobacco in dustry has changed it's trend of advertising
towards young people but has not stopped it completely. Now the
focus of the to bacco indus try is not so much advertising as
sales pro motion.

For example Camel runs a sales promo
tion with it's popu lar Camel Cash. By col lecting Camel Cash on
the back of each pack of cigarettes, the smoker can keep a
collection to be saved and later traded for Camel shirts, Camel
back packs, and even a Camel pool table. Of course people must
collect thousands of these little cash incen tives just to come
close to the pool table, but it's promo tions like these that are
tak ing place of advertising di rected at teenagers and young
adults.

According to Hall, teen use of to bacco
has remained about the same compared with last year's numbers.

Also the number of com plaints as well
as school-re lated in ci dents of tobacco in frac tions decreased.

In fact, Hall stated that last year a
sting operation was performed in Alturas by the state to see if
local mer chants were selling to bacco products to minors. Six out
of seven mer chants targeted by the sting sold to bacco to mi nors
and many of the mer chants re ceived stiff fines which has made
them very cautious about selling tobacco prod ucts.

Not only have merchants been under the
gun when it comes to tobacco, but local bars and restaurants have
been un der close watch by the Alturas Police Department.

Under state law, smoking is not allowed
in bars or restau rants. So far within the city limits of Alturas,
there is 100% compli ance from bars and restaurants, due to en
force ment of this law by the Alturas Police Department. But out
side the city limits is a different story.

In 1994, AB-13 was passed by the
California legislature which banned smok ing in pub lic places,
but excluded bars and restaurants.

In 1995 Proposition 188 was brought to
the people by the Philip Morris company, a major tobacco company
known for making cigarettes. Proposition 188 was in tended to
weaken AB-13 but failed when voted on by the state by 70.5%. In
Modoc County the proposition failed by 60.5%.

On January 1, 1998 AB 30-37 was passed
by the state of California which banned smoking in public places
in cluding bars and restaurants.

Two bars have already been cited in the
city of Alturas, but none have yet to be cited in the
county.

In fact, at a meeting of the Board of
Directors California Pines Property Owner's Association on July 8,
1999 the issue of smoking in the lodge area, including the
restaurant, bar and lobby was discussed. According to state law
there should be no smok ing at the Cal Pines lodge.

The fact of the matter is, is that the
county sheriff, who is re sponsible for law enforce ment in the
county and out side the city limits of Alturas, has indicated that
he will not send deputies out to California Pines for such an
infraction.

Sheriff Bruce Mix believes that smoking
in bars and restaurants is a Health Department issue not a law
enforce ment is sue. But accord ing to Karen Kahusi, the Health
Department is an edu cational de partment, they have nothing to do
with en forcement of laws. No smok ing in bars and restaurants is
in deed a law, it falls under la bor code 64.045, which means that
it is the job of law en forcement to enforce this law in the state
of California, she said.

Mix stresses that he has higher priority
issues such as drunk drivers, homicides, nar cotics, etc. and
smoking in bars and restaurants is not a top priority right now.
Mix be lieves that this law should be an ed ucational issue not an
enforce ment issue and to his knowledge there hasn't been a com
plaint about smoking in a long time. Kahusi said she ex pects
other complaints to be filed soon.

Spread of beetle forces
some hay quarantine

The spread of the cereal leaf beetle in
Oregon has initi ated a California state quarantine of small
grains such as barley, oats, wheat, ear corn and rye, and which
could include hay from small grains.

According to Modoc County Agriculture
Commissioner Joe Moreo, that quarantine will impact some growers
in the Modoc area.

Agriculture Inspection stations will be
on line to stop or intercept products which could be infested with
the beetle. In Modoc County, that means a lot of hay products.
Moreo is ad vising shippers and growers to call his office for a
Certificate of Origin or an inspection certificate that will al
low shipment.

According to Moreo, any truck stopped at
the ag inspection stations without proper certification will be
either delayed or rejected.

Modoc is not under the quarantine and
Moreo stresses that growers should take the steps to insure they
have the cer tificate of origin. He also stresses that the beetle
in question is known to spread rapidly. It is not yet in
neighboring Oregon counties of Lake and Klamath. However, parts of
Oregon including the following counties are under the quarantine:
Baker, Malheur, Multnomah, Union, Umatilla, Washington and
Yamhill. The beetle is also in quarantine in Idaho, Kansas,
Montana, Utah, Washington Wyoming and Canadian provinces of
Ontario and Quebec.

According to the quarantine by the
California Department of Food and Agriculture, commodities and
items covered originating from uninfested areas should be admitted
to the state only under a certificate of origin or in spection
issued by the origin state agricultural official. Regulated
commodities from uninfested areas without a origin certificate
should be rejected. Those are the directives ag inspection
stations will be following.

The cereal leaf beetle is a destructive
leaf feeder which in the larva and adult stages attacks
principally wheat, barley and oats.

New Modoc Railroad Academy
set to open

After many years of planning, the new
Modoc Railroad Academy will open January, 2000.

According to Administrative Secretary,
Marcella Andreasen, the school's first class is already expected
to see as many as 100-130 stu dents.

The new M.R.A is the only school of its
kind to offer both classroom instruction and hands on training,
focused at teaching basic railroad skills to entry level
employees.

The purpose of the program is to provide
students with basic industry knowledge in real world conditions.

For example, most of the track and train
crew classes will be held at night and in the winter. The M.R.A.
wants it's students to experience the worst the industry has to
offer so they will be ready for any situation.

The M.R.A. staff has al ready been
selected and is composed of five instructors who will be paid to
teach classes.

To become a student at the M.R.A. there
are no prerequi sites or qualifications needed.

The program is set to run 8 to 12 weeks
long.

For more information about the M.R.A.,
contact Marcella Andreasen at 530-233-2576.

Tickets go ing fast to
Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair

The Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair is right
around the corner and there are only a few days left to pur chase
ticket books for the Midway of Fun.

Tickets for the Midway of Fun are still
on sale, but only until September 6th.

Tickets are on sale for $10.00 per book,
each contain ing 30 tickets for almost 50% off the ticket booth
price.

The complete book of 30 tickets can be
traded for an unlimited ride pass on Wednesday, September 8th from
5-8 p.m., on Thursday, September 9th from 3-8 p.m., or on Sunday,
September 12th from noon-6 p.m.

If people do not wish to trade for an
unlim ited ride pass they may use their coupons at any other time
as required by that ride.

The fair is set to start Thursday, Sept.
9 and will run until Sunday Sept. 12.

For more information about the fair, you
can contact the Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair of fice at (530)
667-5312.

Volunteer to help Wrymoo
for Balloon fest

Friends of Wrymoo Rail road Museum
encourage the public to take part in the Al turas Balloonfest
which will be launched at the museum on Saturday, Sept. 18.

Now is the time to reserve a space to
sell items or rum mage that Saturday. Space will be available for
vendors or the public to sell items on eight foot table spaces,
cur rently available for $10 from Wrymoo.

If inter ested contact Mar cella An
dreasen, 233-2576 or the Al turas Chamber of Commerce at 233-4434
for ap plication and set up times.

The Alturas Chamber of Commerce plans to
hold the Balloonfest for two days Sept. 18-19. The Chamber is
planning a pancake break fast. Alturas FFA will pro vide a
barbecue meal.

Wrymoo is seeking members and volunteers
who might be interested in providing train rides, infor mation or
staffing a mem bership booth or gift shop plus a bake sale from 7
a.m. - 1:00 p.m. September 18. Anyone who wants to help may con
tact Jill Porter at 233-5746 or Marcella at 233-2576.

The next Friends of Wrymoo Board meeting
will be held Friday, Sept. 3 at 7:00 p.m. in Plumas Bank's con
ference room, Main Street, Alturas. Anyone who would like to
attend is welcome.

Record
news summaries for Sept. 9, 1999

Modoc Jury convicts MJU
Super of felony

Fire restrictions
necessary as conditions worsen

County adopts budget
for Year 2000

Casino opening goes for
Rancheria

Building goes up in
August

Wrymoo all set for
balloon fest

Modoc roadwork tying up
some traffic

The
forecast:Look for mostly sunny
skies with highs in the mid-80s today. Highs should be in the high
70s and mid 80s through Sunday with lows getting into the 30s and
40s. Little or no chance of rain.

Modoc jury convicts MJU
Super of felony

It took the jury less than 45 minutes to
deliver a verdict that found Craig B. Drennan, Superintendent of
Modoc Joint Unified School District, guilty of felony
eavesdropping on a confidential communication without consent of
the parties involved.

California Penal Code 632 A states that
in order to eavesdrop on a confidential communication one must
have the consent of the person or persons involved, and
according to what the jury perceived, this is something Drennan
failed to do.

Drennan was charged with felony
eavesdropping after a hidden video camera was discovered by
Alturas Police in the office of Modoc High School Principal Dewey
"Duke" Pasquini's office.

The hidden camera was discovered and
removed by the Alturas Police Department May 4 after it's
existence was reported to them. Pasquini was not told the camera
was in his office. It was in the ceiling and the lens was
covered by a false smoke detector. The camera had been in
operation for about six months.

School officials reported to police that
the camera operated 24 hours per day, five days per week and was
turned off in March.

Throughout the trial Drennan's defense
tried to make the case one of character. The defense brought in
many past and present board members as well as current principals
of the district schools to vouch for Drennan's character.

According to the defense's strategy,
they called in current board members Bill Hall and Sean Curtis and
asked them their personal opinions of Drennan's honesty, in which
they both responded that he had been completely honest with them.

This statement seemed to start a trend
with the other defense witnesses, including Principals Randy
Wise, of Alturas Elementary, Steve Iverson of Modoc Middle School
and former Modoc High Dean of Students John Shirley, who all
believed Drennan to be a truthful person, never having to question
his honesty.

In response to the defense's strategy,
District Attorney Tom Buckwalter came back with his own witnesses
attacking the very character that the pervious educators deemed
as honest. Buckwalter's witnesses consisted of former board
member Seab McDonald and current English teacher at the high
school, Marie Neer. Both witnesses testified that they did not
trust Drennan, and said they did not consider him to be an
forthright individual.

Other key issues brought up by the
defense and the prosecution were that of alleged security
problems within Duke Pasquini's office. According to the defense,
Modoc High Schools former principal Duke Pasquini complained many
times to his secretary, to Drennan, to Ramona Delmas and to
various other school officials that many files were being either
taken or tampered with. Delmas testified that Pasquini appeared
"very paranoid" in one such encounter about security issues
within his office.

According to the defense, this was the
reason for the camera being put in Pasquini's office. With the
alleged security breaches happening so often, Drennan believed
he could catch who was responsible for the tampering of the files,
by putting in the secret camera with no one knowing.

Buckwalter came back at the defense with
the fact that taping was done 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.
According to Drennan, he only wanted to view the part of the day
that extended from 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., which also happened
to be the time of day when Pasquini was out of the office.
Buckwalter then questioned the reason for 24-hour taping if
Drennan did not wish to witness confidential conversations
between Pasquini and other persons. Drennan could have easily
instructed maintenance supervisor Jimmy Lloyd to begin taping at
4:30 if Drennan only intended to view that part of the day,
Buckwalter said.

This is where the issue of whether
Drennan actually witnessed anyone on the tapes came into play.
Drennan testified that he never witnessed anyone on the tapes he
received, which could not be proven or disproved because Drennan
ordered Lloyd to destroy the tapes with a hammer and dispose of
them.

But Buckwalter brought up the fact that
with the tapes constantly taping 24 hours a day, Drennan had to
witness someone being in the office at some time during the day,
thus making what Drennan did illegal.

Other key points brought up by the
defense were the fact that Drennan testified that he called the
district lawyers who deemed his actions legal as long as their
was no audio on the tape. What was more interesting was the fact
that the defense never called these lawyers to testify on the
behalf of Drennan.

Other apparent downfalls of the defense
were the testimony of Pasquini's private secretary Lisa Parnow.
Parnow testified that Pasquini would forget his work at home and
would misplace papers. Along with this testimony she also
testified that she had conversations with Drennan's secretary
Sandy Hess about what went on in Pasquini's office. This was the
key issue that Buckwalter attacked, pointing out that Parnow's
title was a confidential secretary to the Principal, yet she was
reporting certain events in the office to Hess in the
Superintendent's office.

Buckwalter successfully found holes in
the defense's case and seemed to have the upper hand through much
of the trial. Even though Drennan's defense put on a good
argument in sumation, stressing that the evidence at hand was
circumstantial, it obviously wasn't enough to convince the jury
who dealt down the unanimous decision of guilty.

Drennan will go back to court Oct. 12 at
1:30 p.m., to determine his sentencing for the crime.

Fire restrictions
necessary, says FS; rain could ease pain

Modoc firewood cutters are not a bunch
of happy campers right now as extreme fire restrictions remain in
place on local public lands. Those restrictions are keeping
woodcutters out of the forest.

"We understand that they are unhappy and
don't really disagree with them," said U.S. Forest Service
information Specialist Carol Sharp. "The problem is that fire
danger is in the critical stages. The fire fuels out here are
incredibly volatile."

Normally, this time of year is when
firewood gatherers are very busy getting their winter wood
supplies stocked up.

Under the restrictions, which affect
public lands in Modoc, Lassen and the Eagle Lake and Surprise
Valley areas, campfires can be used only in fire rings or stoves
provided in recreation sites or in posted campsites and
campgrounds. Portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum and
pressurized liquid fuel are exempt from the restriction. Internal
combustion engines can only be used on established roads and
trails and smoking is allowed only within enclosed vehicles or
developed recreation sites.

According to Sharp, typical Modoc fires,
besides lightning, are caused by off road vehicles, smokers
putting cigarettes out on a log and campfires which are not
completely out when campers leave.

The Forest Service is concerned now
about the deer hunting season and mushroom pickers in the forest.
Sharp said the Forest is asking those people to be extremely
careful with fire and vehicles.

According to the Forest Service, the
timber 1000 hour fuel moisture level is averaging 10 percent, and
anything less than 13 meets the criteria for closure. In addition,
extreme fire behavior can be expected in sage brush fuel types
with live fuel moistures below 100 percent. Sharp said a sampling
in the Lava Beds August 24 showed sage at 81 percent live fuel
moisture, bitterbrush at 95 percent and mahogany at 73
percent.

"What we need for relief is significant
rainfall," said Sharp. "The grass crop from last year is matted
down from the dry spring and that's adding to the problem."

Unfortunately, extended weather
forecasts are not showing any relief in sight. The forecast from
September 10 through the 14th is calling for warm and dry
conditions. The 90-day outlook shows near normal to slightly above
normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.

The Forest Service is concerned that a
continuation of near normal precipitation and temperatures will
prolong moderate to high rates of spread in all fuel types,
meaning fire restrictions will continue.

As an indication of how fast fires are
spreading, the Forest Service notes that a fire in the Medicine
Lake area went to 16 acres in less than an hour. At Hallelujah
Junction, on US 395, sparks from a grinder started a blaze that
went to 3,900 by nightfall. That fire burned 10 cows before fire
engines arrived.

There are no fires currently active on
the forest and one in the South Warner Wilderness burned about a
tenth of an acre but is now out. The smoke in the skies around
Modoc is coming primarily from fires in the Plumas and Lassen
County areas.

One fire was reported Wednesday
afternoon near Likely. It had burned about 15 acres, but was under
control.

County adopts its budget
for 2,000

The new 1999-2000 County Budget was
adopted September 7 with a designated revenue of $36,533,112, but
a total revenue of $41,347,955.

The general fund consists of $7,542,978
and includes departments such as Public Protection,
legislation/administration and Detention/ Corrections
facilities.

In fact, each of these three departments
will receive the most money out of the fund, with public
protection at the top of the list requiring $1,253,610, with
legislation/administration close second at $1,083,565.

The Non-General fund which consists of
the Road Department, Welfare and many others comes to a total of
$25,073,932. Fifty-one percent of this fund will be allotted to
the Road Department at a total of $12,481,293. Welfare came in
second with 19% of the pie at a total of $4,888,074.

Last but not least is the Enterprise
fund which comes to a total of $8,731,045. This fund will be
distributed to the Departments of the Library, Hospital, and Waste
management.

In other issues brought in front of the
board is the proposal to fund approximately one third of the
project cost of construction of a left turn lane on Highway 299,
at Pencil Road. One third of the project will cost $113,000, and
has already been planned and agreed to by Caltrans. Caltrans will
design the turn lane, which according to Road Commissioner Tracy,
is badly needed after three or four rear end accidents in the past
year.

Another issue on the agenda was an issue
concerning Modoc County ranchers and the US Fish & Wildlife.

Due to the fact of miscommunication, or
no communication at all between the Refuge and the ranchers, many
ranchers are upset about actions taken by the Refuge concerning
water rights and land use designated by lease agreements approved
by prior director of the Refuge, Dave Johnson.

In fact many ranchers with leases on
certain refuge property, such as the former Hamilton property,
were pushed off the land or not allowed use of it.

The ranchers' complaint is simple,
reduction of water usage and lack of honoring grazing rights
already leased is hurting the ranchers competitiveness both
financially and economically.

The water right issue is very vague.
The Refuge or US Fish & Wildlife bought the land they own now,
from what used to be the Dorris Ranch. According to new Refuge
Director Anne Marie Larosa, when Fish & Wildlife bought the
Dorris Ranch they also purchased their water right with it. This
water right is known as the Pine Creek agreement which gave the
then Dorris Ranch and now the Refuge, priority to the Pine Creek
water.

The problem is that the agreement is
more of a gentlemen's agreement with many areas within the
agreement being very vague as to who receives what priority
concerning the water, after the Refuge.

According to Larosa the Refuge is now
taking steps, along with the county ranchers, to let them form
more specific complaints. The Refuge and the ranchers are set
to meet and recognize these complaints in a Supervisors meeting
in October.

Opening goes well for
Casino

According to General Manager Joe Fisher,
Friday night's opening of the Alturas Rancheria Casino went well,
with a total of about 130 people walking through the casino doors
for the first time.

Despite the good turn out there were
some minor problems with a small number of machines, but manger
Fisher assured the Record that everything is now in working
order.

According to Fisher, business was a
little slow due to the labor day weekend but has picked up since
then.

Fisher also stated that he is
considering opening the Casino a little earlier in the day, but
nothing is for sure yet.

Until that time normal operating hours
will remain 3 p.m.-11 p.m., and the casino will remain open seven
days a week.

Building goes up for
August

County building permits for August, 1999
moved up to 35 permits, worth an estimated $390.535. That's an
increase from July's 22 permits, but an decrease from July's
value of $514,200.

Of the 35 permits, 10 of them were for
mobile or manufactured home installations. The county collected
$3,944 in fees.

The city issued 27 permits valued at
$130,717 for August, up from 15 permits valued at $572,563 in
July. A big part of the July building activity was $446,000
permit to re-roof the Alturas Meadows Apartments.

For August, 1999, the installation of a
large metal building was the bulk of the permits totals. Of the
city permits, 10 were for re-roofing. The city collected
$1,649.11 in fees.

Wrymoo for Balloon fest all
set for Sept. 18

Friends of Wrymoo Railroad Museum
encourage the public to take part in the Alturas Balloonfest
which will be launched at the museum on Saturday, Sept. 18.

Now is the time to reserve a space to
sell items or rummage that Saturday. Space will be available for
vendors or the public to sell items on eight foot table spaces,
currently available for $10 from Wrymoo.

If interested contact Marcella
Andreasen, 233-2576 or the Alturas Chamber of Commerce at
233-4434 for application and set up times.

The Alturas Chamber of Commerce plans to
hold the Balloonfest for two days Sept. 18-19. The Chamber is
planning a pancake breakfast. Alturas FFA will provide a
barbecue meal.

Wrymoo is seeking members and volunteers
who might be interested in providing train rides, information or
staffing a membership booth or gift shop plus a bake sale from 7
a.m. - 1:00 p.m. September 18. Anyone who wants to help may
contact Jill Porter at 233-5746 or Marcella at 233-2576.

The next Friends of Wrymoo Board meeting
will be held Friday, Sept. 3 at 7:00 p.m. in Plumas Bank's
conference room, Main Street, Alturas. Anyone who would like to
attend is welcome.

Modoc County road
work

Highway 395 (258804) approximately 2
miles north of the Secret Valley Rest Area to .2 miles south of
Termo: $8.6 million construction project for roadway
rehabilitation including widening, drainage and paving. J.F. Shea
is the contractor. One way traffic controlled by pilot car with
flaggers, seven days a week for the next 5 to 6 weeks 24 hours a
day. Expect 30-minute delays. Anticipated completion late October
1999. (Resident Engineer Jeff Bline, 530-225-3065)

Highway 395 (354704) from Litchfield to
13 miles south of Ravendale, construction project for blanket
overlay. Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
(Resident Engineer Jeff Bline, 530-225-3065)

Highway 395: from 3.5 to 4.5 miles north
of Milford and 1.7 miles south to 1.4 miles north of Janesville a
maintenance project for grinder digouts. Alternating north and
south bound lane traffic controlled by flaggers and pilot cars,
cones, arrow boards and changeable message signs. Expect 15-minute
delays. Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(Supervisor Galen Roberts, 530-257-0543)

A chapel service will be held Friday, Sept. 10 at 11:00 a.m.
at Our Mother of Sorrow Cemetery chapel, 2700 N. Virginia St.,
Reno, Nev.

Ray was born May 30, 1919 in Turlock, Calif. He had been a
resident of Amador County for two years. He was a retired Major in
the United States Air Force. He served in World War II as a flight
training instructor and the Korean Con flict as a Pilot of a B-26
Intruder, where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Retiring in 1965 after 25 years of military service, Ray moved to
Reno, Nev. where he worked for his uncle Martin Etcheto at Deluxe
Laundry, and at St. Mary's Hospital laundry services. Ray owned
and op erated Pink and Blue Diaper Service for ten years, before
retiring to Ft. Bidwell, Calif., where he lived for 16 years. As a
resident of Ft. Bidwell he helped organize and put much effort
into the Ft. Bidwell Fire Department's Memorial Day barbecue. He
was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Surprise Valley Post
7888 and was a member of the Lions Club in Jackson.

Ray is survived by his wife Mariella Etcheto of Jackson; son
Daniel Etcheto of Reno, Nev.; stepson Robert Lague of Lancaster,
Calif.; stepdaughter Bonnie DeLange of Jack son; brothers Peter
Etcheto of Elko, Nev. and John Etcheto of Reno, Nev.; seven
grandchildren, and nine great-grand children.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Mathilda
Etcheto; sisters Frances Sejas, June Tanner, Marie Etcheto; and
brother Jimmy Etcheto.

Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's So ciety of
Northern California, P.O. Box. 1824, Sacramento, CA 95812.
Arrangements by Daneri Mortuary.

Henry Marvin Hitchcock

Graveside services for Henry Marvin Hitchcock will be held at
a later date at the Lookout Cemetery. Mr. Hitchcock died August
30, 1999 of natural causes at Mercy Medical Center in Redding,
Calif.

A native of Lookout, Calif., he was born November 25, 1921. He
was 77 years of age at the time of his passing.

Mr. Hitchcock had lived in McCloud where he had worked as a
heavy equipment mechanic for Champion Wood Products, until he
retired and moved to Anderson in Shasta County with his wife in
1988.

He is survived by his wife Jeanette of Anderson, Calif.;
daughter Bonnie Kwiatkowski of Cottonwood, Calif.; two
grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great
grandchild.

Wesley David McKee

Longtime Alturas and Likely resident Wesley David McKee of
Alturas passed away September 7, 1999 in Klamath Falls, Ore. on
his 86th birthday.

Services for Mr. McKee will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday,
September 11 at the Likely Cemetery. Pastor Destry Campbell and
the vet erans groups will conduct the graveside service. A potluck
lunch and time of fellowship will follow at the Likely Fire Hall.

Mr. McKee was born in Likely, Calif. on September 7, 1913 and
spent his child hood growing up in Likely where he completed the
eighth grade.

He entered the U.S. Army to serve during World War II, and
later worked as an auto and truck mechanic. He loved hunting and
fishing and always had a good story to tell. He was a good friend
to many and gave of his time selflessly to help friends in many
ways over his lifetime. He kept a watchful eye over the Alturas
Cemetery for many years. "Wes," as he was known, will be missed by
many.

Mr. McKee was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post
3327 and the Alturas Rifle and Pistol Club.

Cedarville native Grace Viola Rouse passed away September 7,
1999 in Cedarville, Calif., where she had been a resident at the
extended care facility for several years. Mrs. Rouse was 98 years
of age. Services will be held at graveside on Friday, Sept. 10 at
10:00 a.m. at the Cedarville Cemetery.

Born Grace Viola Watson in Cedarville, Calif. on March 25,
1901, she graduated from Surprise Valley High School in Cedarville
and attended Heald's Business College in Oak land, Calif. for
almost two years.

On January 2, 1937, she married Phillip Rouse in Lake view,
Ore. Mrs. Rouse had made Surprise Valley her home for all but the
two years while she was away at school in Oak land. She was a
homemaker to her devoted husband and daughter. She also enjoyed
reading, gardening and em broidering.

She is survived by her husband Phillip Rouse of Cedarville;
her daughter Verna Rouse of Cedarville; five grandchildren; seven
great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.